


Your Neighbor's Friends*Handsome Male Edition

by KateMcHughGorman



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 14:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 48
Words: 123,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5788114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateMcHughGorman/pseuds/KateMcHughGorman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the he/him/male version of Your Neighbors Friends for the lovely men of AoE and the Undertale/Undertail fandom :*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome

Life hadn’t changed much for you since the monsters had reappeared on the surface.

You still breathed the same air, worked the same secretary job at the boring attorney’s office, and ate the same food you’d always had.

Until, you ran into the neighbors that lived in apartment C3.

It was winter and the run from your car to the entrance of your apartment building felt like a flash freeze. You smiled at the doorman who sat at his desk, who nodded back. Shaking off the thick dusting of snow that made its home on your shoulders and hat, you entered the elevator and rode it up to your apartment; C2.  
The apartment across from you, C3, had been unoccupied for a few weeks, so you were surprised when you heard voices coming from the hall. Exiting the elevator, you came face-to-face with a monster and a small child.

The child, with medium length brown hair, took notice of you first. They tugged on the monster’s purple dress before quietly pointing at you. The monster was a very tall woman covered in pristine white fur. Two cute little horns rested right above her chin length ears, which tapered her elegant looking face. Two dark eyes glanced your way before a kind smile graced the monster’s face.

“Oh, hello!” The monster said, her voice soft and sweet. You smiled. “You must be our new neighbor! I’m Toriel, and this is my child Frisk.”

“Yeah, I live right across from you. There are only two occupants for every floor, so it’s nice and quiet in this building.” It suddenly dawned on you that you hadn’t introduced yourself. “I’m _____, it’s nice to meet you two.”

Toriel smiled. “Lovely to meet you as well! Unfortunatly, Frisk and I must head in and start unboxing.” Frisk sighed at the mere mention of unpacking, and Toriel shot them an understanding glance.

“Would you need any help?” You offered. Toriel’s face lit up in happiness.

“I wouldn’t want to impose on your kindness, but your help would truly be appreciated. We have some friends coming over in a few hours with the heavier furniture, but we have many boxes to unpack before we can even fit furniture in here.” Toriel said, relief in her voice.

You laughed. “It’s no problem. Let me just get out of my work clothes and I’ll be right back!”

You unlocked your front door, not bothering to close the door behind you. You dashed through the living room/kitchen and headed straight for your bedroom to change into a tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

* * *

Frisk smiled up at Toriel, who entered their new apartment in relief. The last few months above ground had been very stressful. Humans were not too accommodating at first, especially in the more rural areas. Monsters found that it was much friendlier in large cities.

Toriel was glad that the ridiculous adoption process was over, too. The human’s government had not been too keen on:

1\. The ambassador of monsters be a child; let alone a mute child.  
2\. That this child was ‘un-legally adopted’ by a monster.

Toriel had to fight for her right to keep Frisk under her care. It cost a pretty penny, much stress, and many tears. The government had tried to take Frisk away from her, but that thankfully never happened. That piled on what happened at their last dwelling…

Frisk, as if sensing Toriel’s emotions, grabbed their mother’s furry hand and squeezed. Smiling down at her child, she ran her fingers through their hair. “Everything will be alright here, darling. The landlord is fine with us monsters, as is the doorman, as is our neighbor it seems. Times are starting to look brighter.”

Nodding, Frisk recalled their old apartment. The doorman sneered at any and every monster that made eye contact with him, as did all their neighbors. The landlady kept increasing their rent every month. Sans and Undyne had both tried reasoning with the landlady, but she refused to even meet their gaze.

Times hopefully would soon be better; Frisk and Toriel were both determined to make it so.


	2. Moving In and Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

After changing into more comfortable clothes, you crossed the hall, leaving your front door opened once more. The building was very safe and you felt very secure with your door opened and unlocked when you were home. Toriel seemed to feel the same way; as you had to knock on the opened door to alert your new neighbors.

“I’m back and ready to unpack!” You called into the rather bland looking apartment. The walls and rooms were very barren, but all floors, walls, and surfaces looked wiped clean.

“Welcome!” Toriel called from the kitchen, which much like your apartment, was only separated from the large living room by a decorative arch. inside, you spied Frisk who was gingerly unwrapping some utensils from a small box and placing them in the dishwasher. Toriel was unpacking some dishes and rinsing them off in the sink before placing them in one of the cabinets.

“What can I start on?” You asked. Toriel nodded towards a small pile of rolled up carpets that were wrapped in tan paper and tied shut with string.  

“Would you mind unwrapping those rugs?” Toriel asked sweetly. “I’ll tell you which ones to place where. Thank you so much.”

You smiled, grabbing a pair of scissors that were laid on the breakfast bar. “No problem!”

After opening the area rugs, you marveled at the intricate detail and beauty of the carpeting. Toriel blushed and admitted that she had a knack for crafting and had made each rug herself.

“These are beautiful! Do you sell these for a living? People would kill to have your talent!” You praised the goat-monster, who bashfully batted her hand at you.

“I do, I have a small stall in the city selling odds and ends, although it is not my ideal job.” Toriel sighed, smiling. “I’m taking online classes to become a certified teacher! I’ve been tutoring for the odd bit of income as well.”

You assured Toriel that she must have a charm with children, which Frisk agreed with by nodding and making a quick hand sign. You had taken a sign language class before, but you certainly weren’t an expert. Hopefully what little you knew would help you better connect with your littlest neighbor.

With all the area carpets placed in their proper places, you began helping Toriel move boxes to the appropriate rooms. Most were clothes, personal effects, and knick knacks, but the boxes were fairly heavy. After those were placed in the bedrooms, you began helping Toriel rinse off glassware and dishes and placing them in the cabinets.  

A sudden shout from the hallway had you jerking towards the open door. Much to your surprise a tall, muscular female monster came into the apartment, but her appearance is not what surprised you. It was that she was carrying a massive wooden bookshelf, at least nine shelves, over her shoulders as if it was nothing.

“Nice digs.” The female monster said, glancing around the apartment. “Where you want this?”

“The left corner, adjacent from the window would be lovely. Thank you!” Toriel chimed, smiling at the monster that practically slammed the bookshelf against the wall. She was very pretty; a fish-like creature, with blue-ish purple skin, red hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, fins instead of ears. One eye covered with an eye patch, but the other eye was a rather bright shade of amber-yellow.

The monster seemed to take notice of you once she turned around. You watched as her muscles flexed under her leather jacket and her booted feet stomped in your direction.

“Who’s the new human meat?” She sneered, looking you up and down. You felt a little intimidated. Toriel shot her a displeased look.

“This is _____! Our new neighbor.” Toriel said, her eyes commanding the fish-woman to back down. “He offered his help, Undyne, so be polite.”

The fish-woman, Undyne, pouted a little. Frisk skipped over to her and made a few quick hand signals. You caught the sign for ‘ _good’_. The thought of Frisk describing you as good made your chest fill with warmth for the small child. Undyne sighed, a sharp-toothed smile stretching across her face.

“Well, if you’re alright with the little boss, you’re alright with me, human!” Undyne smiled, but it was clearly a little forced. At least she was trying to be polite.

You smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you too. Do you need any help carrying up furniture?”

Undyne scoffed, as if you had offended her strength. “No! Sans, Pap, Alphys, and I have it covered.”

You nodded, preparing yourself to meet three new faces. The hallway was soon filled with three more voices, and a trio of new monsters filed into the apartment, carrying a comfy looking couch.

Amongst them were two skeletons and a small dinosaur-monster in a white puffy winter coat.

“Thank you all so much for your help.” Toriel smiled, drying her hands with a dishcloth. “Everyone, this is our new neighbor, _____.”

One skeleton, who must have been a little taller than six feet hurriedly rushed over to you.

“Hello! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, am happy to meet you!” The skeleton grasped one of your hands in his and began to shake vigorously, practically shaking your entire body up and down. He was wearing a bright yellow winter jacket with a red scarf, or was that a cape, draped over his shoulders.

The small dinosaur monster chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her neck. “P-Papyrus can be a l-little eager. I-I’m Alphys.” She was cute too, with gleaming black orbs behind large glasses and shiny yellow scales.

“What can I say, he’s _dead_ set on making a good first impression.” A smaller skeleton, just about the same height as you and Alphys, chuckled. This skeleton was wearing a heavy looking blue jacket that had thick fur surrounding the hood. What was surprising was that he was wearing thin looking jogging pants and furry pink slippers.

“SANS! PLEASE STOP!” Papyrus crowed, letting go of your hand. “Puns are not a good way to start a friendship!”

The smaller skeleton, Sans, shrugged his shoulders. The white pin pricks of his eyes glanced up at you and he gave you a lazy wave.

“Let’s go get those mattresses!” Undyne called, marching out of the apartment, most likely back to the moving van that would be needed to haul all the heavy furniture. Papyrus and Alphys followed after the tall fish-woman, but Sans stayed behind.

“How are you fairing, Tori?” Sans asked softly, glancing towards Frisk who was dragging a heavy box labeled ‘Books’ towards the bookshelf. Toriel sighed, making a so-so motion with her hands. You went back to drying and organizing the kitchenware to give the two a sense of privacy.

“It’s looking better every day, Sans.” Toriel said, but sounded exhausted. “Everything is starting to pan out. I just wish that Asgore would…I don’t know.”

Sans nodded apathetically. Whoever Asgore was, he seemed to be giving Toriel a tough time. A troublesome family member, or possibly an ex?

The rest of the move-in night went without a hitch. After the heavy furniture was brought in and set up, all that was left to do was some decorating and light unpacking. Toriel thanked the group profusely, and even ordered a massive pizza as a show of gratitude.

The lot of you lounged around the living room, munching on the cheesy goodness. Toriel, Frisk, Undyne, and Alphys sat on the larger couch, whilst you and the skeletons, which you found out, were brothers, sat on the smaller loveseat.

“So, what d-do you uhh…do for a living, _____?” Alphy’s asked politely. You swallowed, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

“I’m a secretary at a law office. I also have a part time waiter gig at a restaurant of a family-friend.” You answer, shrugging.

“You must be very DETERMINED, HUMAN!” Papyrus said, shoving practically a whole piece of pizza in his unhinged maw. You shrugged and flushed. It wasn’t what you had ever envisioned yourself doing, but it paid your bills and allowed you to use your leftover money for hobbies and interests.

Looking towards the clock, you realize that it’s getting rather late into the night.

“I’ve got to head back across the hall. I have to wake up early for work.” You said, standing and stretching.

“Thank you once again, ______.” Toriel said. “But it does seem to be far past bedtime for little ones as well.”

Sans apparently took that as a queue to leave.

“C’mon, pal, we’ll walk you to your door.” Sans said, nudging Papyrus who jolted off the couch like a hurdler. With a goodbye to Toriel and Frisk; Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, and Alphys walked with you across the hall to your door on their way out.

“It was nice meeting all of you.” You yawned, leaning against your door frame.

“Y-you too, _-______.” Alphys stuttered. “Would y-you mind if w-we exchanged numbers?”

You agreed happily. The group of monsters was very friendly and you wouldn’t mind hanging out with them more. Phones were swapped around so that you could plug your number into each phone and they could all plug their numbers into yours.

When you handed Sans back his cellphone, he chuckled before editing your contact name. _‘Cutie Across The Hall.’_ Sans winked at you, which had you blushing instantly. You were often flirted with at your waiter job, but this seemed…sweeter somehow, more personal and honest.

Sans was the last one to enter the elevator, tossing your cell phone back to you. He had made his contact name _‘Bone Man ;)_ ’.

Again you flushed pink, waving at the group and entering your apartment for the night.

* * *

Waking up early for your secretary job was always a bane of your existence. While not a morning-hater per say, you did take on a Garfield-equ dislike of the early morning hours. Pulling on some clothes, you left your apartment. Outside on the steps, sat Toriel and Frisk, who was wearing a coat and had a little Spiderman backpack on. It seemed like the two were waiting for the school bus.

“Good morning, you two!” You said as cheerily as you could. Frisk blinked at you slowly, before managing an exhausted wave. Toriel giggled at her child, patting their head.

“Off to work, ______?” Toriel asked, seeing your bag and semi-professional work wear.

“More like off to the grind.” You shrugged, pulling your car keys out of your pocket. “Have a good day you two!”

With that, you drove off to your job, ready to answer boring phone calls and greet clients for seven-plus hours.

* * *

When you arrived home, Toriel’s door was wide open and you could hear soft jazz music playing. It soothed you as you unlocked and left open your own door.

Your first plan of the night was a nice hot shower. You deserved it, for dealing with all those clients today. You stayed under the hot spray until your skin was red and your fingers were wrinkly.

So, color you surprised when you exited your bathroom, thankfully wearing your fluffy blue bath robe, to find Frisk standing in your kitchen. They smiled at you, which you returned. They quickly finger spelled a few letters before looking embarrassed, but you had understood the symbols.

“You need sugar?” You asked, shocking Frisk, who looked up at you with wide eyes. “How much?”

You walked to your cabinet and pulled down your plastic tin of sugar. Frisk made the symbol for two and then for cup. You quickly measured out the correct amount before putting the sugar into a plastic container.

“Here you go, sugar.” You teased. Frisk smiled, signing a quick thank you before scuttling out the door. There was a moment of silence before you heard Toriel shout from across the hall: “Thank you, sweetheart!”

You smiled. You already loved your new neighbors.


	3. Fire Alarms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Toriel invited you over for dinner later that week. You offered to bring over some deserts, which Toriel happily agreed to. You spent the few hours before the dinner baking some biscotti; basically an Italian chocolate chip cookie bar.

Your phone chimed, startling you out of your baking zone.

_Bone Man ;):_

_‘You going to Toriel’s for dinner, right?”_

You quickly texted him back that you were, and that you would be happy to see him and everyone there. Your cellphone went silent after that.

You left your apartment when you heard the elevator ding and the loud voices of the rest of the gang rang down the hallway. With the Tupperware container of cookies in hand, you met up with the group and entered Toriel’s apartment.

Saying your hellos, you gasped when you spotted Alphys. Around her eye was a dark purplish bruise. The doctor seemed to be aware of your shock, because she blushed and hid behind Undyne.

“What happened? Do you want some ice?” You asked in a hurry, leaning closer to the shy dinosaur.

“Just some scumbags who thought my girl would be an easy target.” Undyne said, surprising you. Opposites really do attract! “But they pissed their pants and ran away once they saw me coming, ain’t that right babe?”

Blushing, Alphys nodded. “Y-you’re my hero!” 

Frowning, you went back into your apartment, grabbed an ice pack and wrapped it in a dishtowel. Once you returned, you handed Alphys the ice pack, which was gratefully accepted with a shy smile.

It worried you that the sweet scientist was attacked on the street in broad daylight. Sure, you knew that some humans were incredibly racist against monsters, but you had never seen any monster be attacked before. Bringing it up seemed to upset Alphys, so you allowed it to drop.

Sans eyed you as you frowned, unbeknownst to you. He too was concerned for Alphys, but all things considered, the situation could have been a thousand times worse. Humans often kept to shouting insults and generally making life harder for monsters. It was worrying that things were beginning to become physical.

Toriel, sensing the heavy atmosphere, was quick to usher everyone into her home. Frisk practically lunged at Papyrus, swinging from the tall skeleton’s neck like a monkey.

“HELLO, FRISK!” Papyrus yelped, gripping tightly to Frisk. The child began signing quickly, causing the skeleton’s brows to jut up…somehow.

“PUZZELS?!” Papyrus howled in happiness. “Yes, PLEASE!”

Toriel giggled as the small child began to haul Papyrus down the hall to their room.

“We’re here for dinner, Pap, puzzles later.” Sans called to his brother, who whined loudly.

Everyone settled around the large dining room table that was filled to the brim with food. Plates were passed around and filled, and soon the sounds of eating and laughing filled the apartment.

“I was in the Royal Guard!” Papyrus informed you in-between bites of spaghetti. Undyne grumbled something under her breath, but was gently nudged by her girlfriend. You found that Papyrus often exaggerated parts of his day, but his exuberance entertained you, so you never bothered to call him out on it.

“I don’t think I could do that.” You groaned, leaning back into the chair. “Too much physical movement.”

Papyrus groaned, slapping his face with his hand, making a clacking sound. “Don’t tell me you’re a LAZY BONES, too!” Sans laughed, his shoulders shaking up and down.

“What can I say, Papyrus got all the energy, but I got the charming personality.” Sans laughed, fork stabbing at the left overs on his plate. He hadn’t eaten much, but you were surprised that what he did eat didn’t fall through him. Toriel had placed a bottle of ketchup beside him instead of a drinking glass.

You did have a quick moment of shock when he took a deep drink from the glass bottle.

The dinner ended on a pleasant note, with Papyrus offering to escort Undyne and Alphys back to their apartment. Although it was unnecessary, the two accepted the escort and asked Papyrus if he wanted to spend the night at their apartment.

“Go ahead, bro.” Sans said after Papyrus turned to look at his older brother with stars in his eye sockets. “I’m gonna be spending the night here.”

Toriel nodded. “I have to leave for my craft stall very early tomorrow morning, so Sans is going to send Frisk off to school.”

Frisk clapped happily, practically beaming. It was clear to you that he child loved everyone at this table, but held special affection for the skeleton brothers.

You walked out into the hall with Alphys, Undyne, Sans, and Papyrus. You bid the trio goodbye as Sans gave them a lack-luster wave while leaning up against the wall.

“Have a good night, Sans.” You said, about to head into your apartment, but you were stopped.

“Do you always leave your door open?”

Shrugging, you nodded. “Yeah, but only when I’m home.”

Sans frowned. “Even at night?” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“At night I close it, but I leave it unlocked.” You said, earning a grim look from the skeleton. “I’ve lived here for a few years. The doorman downstairs has never let anyone shady come in, and most of the neighbors look out for each other.”

Sans hummed, clearly not trusting in the safety of your apartment. It was nice of him to be concerned, but unnecessary. You knew how to take care of yourself and handle anyone that dared to mess with you.

“I’ll see you around, _bone man_.” You smirked at Sans, whose cheek bones turned a soft cyan blue. What was that? A blush? It was _incredibly_ adorable.

You closed your door behind you, but didn’t bother to lock it. Sans stood in the hallway for a moment, debating whether his next action would be considered as creepy. Throwing caution to the wind, the short skeleton snapped his fingers. He heard your door lock from the inside with a quiet ‘ _snick’_.

Sans had seen what sometimes happened to humans who supported monsters. He couldn’t take that chance with you.

He found it easier to sleep in Toriel’s guest bedroom, knowing that your door was locked.

* * *

**_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ **

The alarm caused you to jolt awake, slightly disorientated. The apartment’s fire alarm system was so loud that your ears throbbed along with your quickly increasing pulse. Only dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a thin shirt, you rushed to your front door.

You were surprised when you tugged at your doorknob, only for the door to stick shut. It was locked. Quickly turning the lock, you raced into the hallway just as Toriel, Frisk, and Sans exited their own apartment.

“Is this a drill?” Toriel asked, her hand clutching Frisk’s as the four of you made your way down the stairs. You all knew well enough never to enter the elevator.

“The landlady usually gives a heads up.” You puffed, nodding your head at the familiar faces of your upstairs and downstairs neighbors. The entire building shuffled out into the snowy night, and only then did you realize how late, technically early, in the morning it was.

Thankfully, the sidewalk was shoveled clean, but the cold concrete bit at your bare feet. A strong gust of wind blew through the cities tall buildings, causing the wind to seem stronger and bitterer than it was. You wrapped your arms around yourself, embarrassed that you were so underdressed. Why hadn’t you thought to grab a coat? Yours was hanging right by the door-

Your internal thoughts were stopped as something soft crossed your shoulders. Sans smiled at you, wrapping his blue jacket around your shoulders. The fur brushed against your flushing cheeks, and you couldn’t help but smile back. As you inhaled, you took notice of the scent: old books, tomatoes, and an undefinable musk that must just be him.

“T-thanks.” You smiled, wrapping the warm coat around you. “I-I guess I wasn’t thinking when I r-ran out.”

Sans smiled, patting your back. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. I don’t think anyone is prepared to be woken up by an alarm.”

“Aren’t you c-cold?” You asked. Sans shrugged.

“You can say that the cold… _goes right through me.”_

You couldn’t stop the snort that came from you. You covered your mouth to stifle your laughter, causing Sans’ smile to widen. Another gust of wind blew past you, causing your legs to shake. Chuckling, Sans reached forwards to zip up the jacket and nestle the fur hood around your neck and cheeks.  

A fire truck came from around the corner, sirens wailing and lights flashing. Firefighters stormed into the apartment building with all their gear on. Frisk ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the men and women, seeming transfixed on their uniforms and massive truck.

“You want to be a firefighter?” You asked Frisk, who sleepily shrugged. They finger-spelled quickly: ‘ _Vet’_.

Toriel smiled down at Frisk, picking up her child into her warm arms. Frisk nuzzled into her soft fur, letting out a little sigh of contentment. Toriel looked up at the building, worry flashing across her face. Sans took a step closer to you, your shoulders nudging together.

The firefighters came out after a few minutes, carrying a smoking convention oven. They spoke to the land-lady, who had rushed down after a call from the door man. It turned out that the elderly couple on the second floor had left some biscuits in the oven and accidentally fallen asleep. There was no damage, and all the tenants were allowed to go back inside.

The sleepy hoard of people shuffled back into the building. Some glared at the elderly couple, who apologized profusely. It was an accident, so why would you bother to get upset? No one was hurt and nothing was damaged. No harm, no foul.

The elevator ride up to your floor was quiet. Frisk had fallen asleep in Toriel’s arms, who was gently rocking the child. You smiled at them; seeing them together always made you happy.

“Good night, everyone.” You whispered, peeling Sans’ jacket off your shoulders. You handed it back to the skeleton, who took it with a small grin. Waving at the family, you went back into your apartment.

From outside your apartment, Sans snapped his fingers. Toriel’s sensitive hearing caught the sound of your door locking from the inside. She shot Sans a playfully devious look, which he blushed at.

Okay, so maybe locking your door with his magic was a little creepy.

Only a little though…

Holding the worn and loved jacket in his arms, he inhaled. Sweet, like vanilla or frosting, slightly musky like rain, and that one undefinable scent that just must be you. The scent was drifting from his jacket. Blushing, the skeleton followed Toriel and Frisk back into their apartment.


	4. Pranks Gone Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

The next day, you had off of work, but you had to go grocery shopping. You left your apartment just in time to catch Frisk and Sans sitting on the outside stairs, waiting for the school bus. 

Frisk smiled when they saw you, patting the cold cement step beside them. Checking your phone, you guessed you could spare a few minutes to sit with them. When you sat down, a loud farting noise rang through the air. People walking past glanced at you with scrunched noses. Your face turned neon red as you reached to pull a whoopee cushion from underneath your butt.

“Better watch out.” Sans said, chuckling. “Some freaks around here like to leave whoopee cushions all over.”

Frisks’ silent, but clearly uproarious giggling gave you the hint that a certain skeleton had been behind the prank. Playfully glaring at Sans, he sheepishly grinned and scratched the back of his skull.

“Watch it, _bone boy_. You don’t know who you’re messing with.” The challenge was clear, and by the determined look on Sans’ face, this wouldn’t be the last prank he pulled on you. Brushing off your pants, you stood and stretched.

“I’m off to the store. See you around!” You said, seeing Frisk’s school bus coming around the corner. Sans waved to you, while Frisk wrapped their arms around your waist in a tight squeeze goodbye.

* * *

Your quick morning meeting with Sans and Frisk had brightened your day considerably. You had a smile on your face all day, even with a busy day of work looming over you tomorrow.

Walking into your apartment with your arms laden with plastic bags, you were shaking. The pants that you had worn were not as warm as you thought they’d be; causing you to be freezing cold. Without chucking off your boots or coat, you dashed into the kitchen to heat up some tea.

As you reached for the cabinet that held your mugs, a loud pop and something lunging out at you caused you to scream. You stumbled backwards, your slick boots causing you to slip. You instinctively turned so you would land on your hands, but you ended up smashing your nose against the floor as well, pain irrupting instantly.

“What the hell…?” You muttered, raising your hand to cover your nose. Hanging limply from your open cabinet was a jack-in-the-box type gag. Warmth from your nose made you groan. Pulling your hand away, you weren’t surprised to find blood.

Frisk was suddenly beside you, their eyes wide in shock. They made a fist and began to rub it on their chest vigorously, the sign for ‘ _Sorry’_.  Your nose hurt a little, but you smiled at Frisk and signed: ‘ _Okay’_.

You pushed yourself to your feet, reaching for the faucet to wet a dishtowel. You pressed the dishtowel to your nose, hoping to stop the flow of blood. At least you hadn’t seriously hurt yourself. The prank was stupid, sure, but it was meant to be harmless.

Another pair of footsteps entered your apartment as you squeezed your nose shut, causing Frisk to flounder around nervously. They pointed at you and covered their nose, making the signs for ‘ _pain’_ , ‘ _nose’_ , and ‘ _ow’_.

A boney hand pulled you around to face a frowning Sans.

“_____...” Sans whispered nervously, stepping closer to you. “I-I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

You nodded, squeezing his shoulder. “I’m fine, bone man.” Your voice sounded nasally from the cloth smushed against your nose. “Just a little trip and nose bleed, I’ll be alright soon.” 

Sans had started to sweat the moment you started talking. The white pin-pricks of his eyes roamed over your face, as if he was searching for more injuries. Gingerly moving your hand away from your face, he pulled the cloth away from your nose, gently wiping away the blood from your upper lip and chin.

“I’m so sorry.” Sans said, looking down at Frisk who was tugging at his jacket. “We’re both really sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt you.”

While talking, Sans kept softly wiping at your face with the cool cloth. It felt nice against your hot skin. Why was your face hot? Sans kept eye contact with you the whole time, a nervous gleam in his eye sockets.

He was just too sweet.

“I know, and it’s alright. Just a silly mistake.” You said, looking down at Frisk. “I’m sure if I wasn’t wearing my wet boots, the two of you would have given me quite a good scare.”

Frisk smiled up at you, signing ‘ _sorry’_ once more before running out of your apartment. Sans wiped your chin one final time before tossing the bloody rag into the skin. The tip of his fingers trailed over your nose, which was still a little sore to the touch.

“Can I make it up to you?” Sans asked, slowly taking his hand away from your face. “Let’s go out and grab a drink.”

Flushing, you agreed. Sans smiled, offering his arm.

* * *

The entire walk to the bar was filled with apologies. You laughed them off and patted Sans’ shoulder. It was an accident, and all was forgiven. Sans frowned at you and said that you were far too forgiving.

The bar down the street from your apartment building was a familiar and comfortable place. The two of you took a seat at the empty bar, nodding to the bartender. Sans slumped in his seat, frowning guiltily at you.

“Would you rather me be angry at you?” You chuckled, nudging Sans with your shoulder. “What good would being mad do me? It would only make you and Frisk more upset, and it was an accident.”   

Sans managed to force a small grin. “You’re not _fibula_ -ing to me, are you?”

Laughing, you shook your head no.

“So, bone man, what do you do with your time?”

Sans glanced towards you. “I have a few jobs here and there.”

That was strange. More than one job?

“I meant hobbies.” You said. “Like…I like to paint.”

“Oh…I really don’t have much free time on my hands.” With multiple jobs, you could believe that. “I like looking up at the sky. Day, night, it doesn’t matter. The music up here is pretty good, too. My bro is the cook, but I do like to bake…mostly cake.”  

Nodding, you started filling in the blanks of Sans’ personality. Not only handsome, but interesting.

_Wait…handsome?_

“Hmm…so, tell me about how you met Frisk.”

Sans voice took you on a wonderful adventure, filled with risk and monsters. The fact that Frisk fell down a hole at mountain and survived was astounding to you! Evil flowers, puzzles, Snowdin, Hotlands, ghosts, and mystical sounding creatures. The labs, all the fights, and the idea of a physical appearance of a soul had you enraptured. The story ended with a flourish, as Sans described the barrier being broken and feeling the sun on his bones for the first time.

“It was…indescribable. The warmth, like nothing I’ve ever felt. The natural wind, seeing the sky lightening and darkening each day. Understanding how the universe works, down to atoms to how thunderstorms occur. It’s… _incredible_.” Sans said, almost breathless in awe. You had never really noticed those little things about the world around you, but you now felt enraptured with them as Sans described them.  

“You…like science?”

Sans stiffened for a second. Had you said something wrong? Over the line? Hurt his feelings?

“Yeah. I dabble.” Sans muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

Cute, funny, caring, _and_ smart? You felt your heart begin to beat irregularly. What was this? No! You couldn’t _like_ this guy. You’ve known him for what? A little over a week? You’ve only seen him a handful of times.

Of course, when you did see him…he was kind, and caring, and sweet. The way he cares about his friends and how he dotes on Frisk. He was an angel.

“Let’s head back.” Sans said, scratching the back of his skull as he hopped from the barstool. “I’ve got work in a bit, and I assume you have work in the morning?”

The walk back to your apartment was quick, mostly kept with both your heads down against the chilly wind. Sans offered you his arm, which you quickly wrapped your own arm around.

Standing outside your door, you asked Sans if he wanted to come in before heading back over to Toriel and Frisk’s apartment.

“I’ve gotta head off to work.” Sans said, frowning. He really would love to come in for a little while, but rent and bills needed to be paid. You hugged Sans goodbye and wished him a good time at work, to which Sans signed and nodded.

Whatever job this was, Sans clearly didn’t enjoy it.

 


	5. Movies, Ex's, and Hot Sauce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You woke that morning from someone knocking at your door. Drowsily, you shambled your way to the living room and opened the door. Toriel stood on the other side, a kind smile across her face.

“Good morning, _____!” Toriel chimed softly. “Frisk, myself, and some others are going to go to the movies and we were wondering if you’d like to come along?”

You’d never gone to a movie during the morning before, but you quickly agreed.

The cinema was relatively empty at this time during the day. The group, consisting of Toriel, Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and yourself, stood underneath the giant screens that held the titles and times of all the movies.

“What do you think, Frisk?” Toriel asked, completely stumped on what to watch. The only movie that she vetoed was the rated R horror movie that was playing.

That would be too much for _Frisk_ to handle.

That’s what you’re going to tell yourself anyway…

“What about that one?” Alphys said, pointing at one of the cardboard cutouts movie ads. “The one about the little dog.”

‘ _Snoopy_!’ Frisk signed, jumping so fast that they were practically vibrating. _‘Snoopy! Snoopy! Snoopy!’_

Laughing at the child’s obvious and infectious enthusiasm, the group went ahead and got the tickets for the movie. While you stood at the end of the  line behind Toriel and Frisk, you noticed that the girl working the ticket window was looking each of your friends up and down with disgust. You glared at the young girl, who practically threw the ticket at Toriel so that their hands wouldn’t touch.

Toriel, the example of poise and grace, picked up the tickets with a smile and stepped to the side with the others, who were considering getting snacks.

You, however…

“What’s your deal?” You hissed. The girl began to stutter nervously, something about ‘just being shocked, dude’ and ‘she didn’t expect to see any monsters out this early in the morning’. Sneering, you continued to glare the girl down as she shakily printed more tickets.

Glancing at her name tag, you practically growled. “Well, I assume you shouldn’t expect to be working here much longer, Alyssa.” You practically pulled your hands away from her as quickly as you could when she slid you a ticket. “I wouldn’t want to get any of the diseases _you_ have, after all.”    

Hearing her gasp, you spun on your heel. Your entire group was swarming the snack stand, Undyne and Papyrus looking as if they were about to arm wrestle over what to buy. Snickering, you caught sight of a manager from across the room.

A tug on your shirt stopped you. Frisk stared up at you with bright, excited eyes. _‘Where you going?’_

“Uhh…” You said, looking up. No one was watching you, so you could probably go talk to the manager quickly. “I just…I know that man.” You gestured to the manager. “I’m going to go say hi quickly.”

Frisk beamed, happy of the idea that you had seen a friend. Squaring your shoulders, you walked with determination over to the manager, who smiled politely at you and asked what he could help you with. You quickly described the situation at the ticket counter. Frowning grimly, the man’s back straightened in anger.

“I am so sorry.” He said politely, pulling out a pen and a pad. “We do not treat our customers here that way.”

Surprised, you blinked at the man. You expected him to side with his employee. You expected something racist and horrible to be thrown you way. The manager clearly understood your shock, and a shy smile crossed his face.

“M-my girlfriend and I have been dating a few months.” He blushed, pulling out his phone and flashing you the home-screen picture. It was of him with his arm wrapped around a female wood elemental monster. Her skin looked to be made of bark, her hair of moss, and her eyes were glowing yellow. She certainly was beautiful and they looked like a happy couple.

“She’s beautiful.” You spoke. The man flushed pink, a giggle escaping him.

“My Ellonetta sure is.” His smile quickly vanished. “And I hate when anyone treats her with disrespect. This employee will be dealt with. I’m sorry your group was given trouble.”

Smiling, you profusely thanked the manager, who waited until you were back with your group before moving towards the ticket window.

By the time you got back to your group, everyone was holding some kind of snack. With a cyan flush on his cheek bones, Sans shuffled beside you. “I…uh…ya like popcorn? I went out on a _limb_ …thought we could share since Frisk said you were talking to your friend.”

“That works for me.” You bit at your bottom lip, feeling your pulse quicken. It was sweet of him to think of you. Sans eyes shyly fell away from you, his grin spreading across his face.

Everyone filed into the theatre and chose a row of seats in the middle of the room. You sat in-between Sans and Alphys, who was snuggling under Undyne’s arm. The fish-woman pressed a sweet kiss to the crown of Alphys’ head, causing the little dinosaur to burn bright red. 

The pre-views ended quickly and the lights dimmed. There was a movement of fabric to your left that alerted you to Sans leaning across the arm rest to get closer to your ear. “Is Pap doing alright? I can’t see him over Undyne.”

Glancing over the happy couple, you spied Papyrus and Frisk beside Toriel, staring at the screen in complete awe. The theatre was empty aside from your group, which was pretty cool. Like your own personal screening!

“He looks like he’s having a great time.” You smiled, seeing the gaping smile across the taller skeleton’s face. “He must really love movies.”

Sans snickered, his shoulder pressing against yours. “There weren’t any theatres Underground. We had television and movies, but no big screens like these. You know Pap, if it’s bigger and louder, it must be better.”

Laughing, the side of your forehead tapped against Sans’. The rest of the movie went well. The louder individuals did have some shouts and screams during the more interesting points of the film, but that just made it more enjoyable for you.

When the lights came back on, Papyrus and Frisk began to clap and cheer. You were glad they were having such a great time. Walking out of the theatre, you felt a swell of relief to see that horrible window-teller was no longer there.

Alphys must have noticed your appeased smile. “W-what did you do, __-______?”

You playfully shrugged.

“T-thank you…for whatever you did.” Alphys muttered. “I-I know she comes off as _uh…uh_ …hard-shelled, but Undyne takes people b-being mean pretty sorely. Toriel says to _ah-ah_ just ignore people like t-that ticket teller, but its…hard sometimes.”

You patted Alphys on the back. “Someone has to say something about those people. And I’ve got a big mouth.”

Giggling, Alphys was now smiling brightly. That smile turned into a small cringe when she caught sight of someone coming towards the group. “O-Oh no…”

“What’s wrong?” You asked, worrying that the horrible ticket counter girl was waiting for them outside the theatre. But, you were surprised by who was approaching you.

A massive, about seven-foot tall, monster was cautiously approaching your group. He was a goat-monster, with snow-white fur, small white ears, blond hair and a small beard. The most astounding part was the foot-long massive curled ram horns that sprouted from his head.

“That’s Asgore.” Alphys whispered to you. “Toriel’s ex.”

You weren’t surprised to see the untrusting and slightly disgruntled look that Toriel wore. Undyne, Frisk, and Papyrus seemed happy to see Asgore, rushing to the goat-monster’s side. Toriel stayed a polite distance away.

“L-let me introduce you.” Alphys said, steering you closer to the man whom you knew was the King of the Underground. Alphys must have had some kind of connection with him, since she used to be the Royal Scientist.

When you were practically shoved in front of Asgore, he smiled kindly down at you. His brown eyes were kind, looking nothing like the stuffy monarch that you had envisioned.

“I am Asgore.” He said, offering you a hand to shake.

“I’m ________. It’s nice to meet you.” You said politely, unsure of how to act. Do you bow? Call him sir? You didn’t want to overdo it.

“Yes.” Toriel broke in, her hand landing on your shoulder. “_______ is our neighbor, and trusted friend.”

The kind words made you blush. Whenever Toriel gave you a compliment, it made you blush. She was just too sweet.

“I’m glad you’re in a better place, Tori-Toriel.” Asgore stuttered with her name. The look of dislike melted off Toriel’s face, turning into a slight pout.

“You…you may call me Tori.” She said, her chin up raised up into the air. Asgore’s eyes practically beamed with stars. You could tell that he was still horns over hooves for Toriel. Sans had told you the story of the king, and you couldn’t blame Toriel for leaving him.

The thought of anyone having to lose their lives or souls…it made your skin crawl.

“We best be going.” Toriel said, reaching down and grabbing Frisk’s hand. Asgore’s smile instantly fell, but he nodded softly. Frisk, smiling impishly, tugged at the end of Toriel’s dress.

 _‘You, king, dinner.’_ Frisk signed, smiling up at their mother. Toriel’s ears perked up in surprise of Frisk’s words, and Asgore almost instantly began refusing.

“O-oh, no, child.” Asgore said, smiling with a pain deep in his eyes. “Your mother might not want-”

“I’m free this Thursday.”

A shocked silence engulfed your group. Sans and Undyne were smirking, while Papyrus and Alphys looked on with slack-jawed awe.

“I can watch Frisk.” You offered quickly.

“Me, too.” Sans said, wagging his brows at Toriel, who sighed, but smiled.

“I’ll…pick you up at six.” Asgore said softly, bowing his head to Toriel.

As Asgore walked away, Undyne wolf-whistled and began to cheer loudly. Sans, still at your side, smiles up at you. “It looks like we’re on Frisk duty.”

You hummed, content with the idea of time spent with Frisk and Sans.


	6. Jobs, Laughs, and Losing His Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Working as a waiter on the busy weekend always helped you get extra cash. You were good friends with the owner, and they called you in whenever they were going to be short on staff. Customers knew your face and most enjoyed you being their server.

“_______, dinners for your table of three are ready!” One of the owners, who was also a cook, shouted for you over the sounds of the busy restaurant. Picking up the hot plates, you scurried out into the main restaurant. The place was bumping on a Sunday night, something that was rare for this time of the week. There was an important football game happening, so that must have been the cause for the greater influx of customers.

“Hey! My name’s ________, and I’ll be your server. What can I get you to drink?” You asked your newest table, an elderly couple, with a friendly smile. With an order of two coffees, you headed back into the kitchen.

“_______, there’s someone at the bar to see you.” The bartender called to you as you passed.

“I’ll be right there.” You hollered back, pouring two cups of coffee. Once your table was settled, you made you way to the bar, where you were surprised to find a handsome little skeleton waiting for you.

“Hey, bone boy.” You greeted, wrapping your arms around him in a hug. Sans hugged back before returning to fiddle with the bottle of hot sauce in front of him. Hmm…you knew he drank ketchup, but other condiments too?

“Hey, ________.” Sans greeted back. His feet swung from his place at the barstool. He had worn a larger navy blue parka over his usual blue jacket. It must have hit below zero some time during your shift. A black beanie and black gloves covered any of his usually uncovered bones.

“What’s going on?” You asked, hefting yourself into a barstool beside him. Sans took a chug of the hot sauce bottle.

“Just wanted to talk.” Sans shrugged, trying to seem aloof. “Wanted to know what you’re.. _uhh_ …doing after work. I expected you to be home, but Toriel _threw me a bone_ and told me where you were.”

“I get off at nine.” You laughed. “I haven’t got anything planned after that.”

“Oh.” Sans said, tapping the tips of his finger bones against the glass bottle.

Feeling a red heat begin to grow on your cheeks, you turned your head towards the skeleton. “But…I-Im open for something after work. If you… _uh_ …want to go somewhere.”

Sans smiled, nodding enthusiastically. “I know just the place!”

“Well, we’ve got about an hour before I’m off. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?” You asked, running your fingers over the wooden groves of the bar.

“I’ll wait for you.” Sans said. “It’s no trouble. The hot sauce is good and it’s warm in here. _Bone dry_ , too.”

Blushing, you nodded before getting back to work.

Sans sat quietly at the bar, eye sockets watching the television. There wasn’t much else for him to do. The bartender snorted, smirking at the skeleton. Sans, choosing to ignore him, kept drinking his hot sauce.

“ _I’ll wait for you.”_ The bartender teased, running a rag across the surface of the bar. “How do you know, our _______?”

“H-he’s the neighbor of some family friends of mine.” Sans said, slowly getting into a conversation with the bartender. The bartender hummed, raising a brow at the sheepish skeleton.

“So you must be the sweet one.” The bartender chuckled. “_______ was telling us about his new neighbors.”

Blushing neon blue, Sans frantically shook his head. “N-no! That must be…he must have been talking about the kid, Frisk. They are a pretty sweet kid.”

Snorting, the bartender shook his head. “Oh, no, no, no. _______ was talking about a sweet boy, but not any sweet boy. He was gushing about a sweet little _bone boy_.”

Sans practically felt his ribs shake in surprise and his magic bubble through him. You couldn’t have really been talking about him that way…

Could you?

“Yep.” The bartender chuckled. “Sands the name, right? He’s only said good things about you.”

Sans didn’t bother correcting the bartender. He was too far gone in his own mind. His mind was racing at thousands of miles per second. Did you really think of him so well? He knew he’d been getting rather attached to you-I mean…you were a pretty awesome person, but there was no way you could be interested in him.

 _Right_?

Two hours passed, with you stopping by the bar every so often when you could find a spare minute or two. You caught eyes with the bartender a few times, who nodded back at Sans and wriggled his eye brows.

Maybe you shouldn’t have told that loud mouth about your little crush.

Then again, it wasn’t like you ever expected their paths to cross.

“I’m ready!” You called to Sans, zipping up your parka after your last table left. Hopping off the barstool, Sans waited another moment as you jammed some gloves over your hands. He held the door open for you, following behind you.

Without thinking, his hand snatched out to grab your arm when an icy blast blew through the street. The gust would have knocked you clear onto your ass, but Sans’ strong grip kept you on your feet. Laughing, you wrapped your arms around Sans’ arm and the two of you fought against the snow and wind together.

Sans took you down a few blocks. Not a lot of people were out at this time of night, leaving the streets bright and clear. Sans suddenly stopped, leading you to an unmarked purple door. He turned the knob, opening the door to reveal a gorgeous restaurant.

There was a decent sized stage against one wall, and there were a dozen or so tables dotted around the room. Each table was covered with a table cloth and lit with candles.

“What is this place?” You asked, seeing Sans wave to the hostess, who smiled back. A few people called out to Sans, so he must have been a regular. Helping you out of your wet parka, Sans then led you to one of the nice tables towards the back of the room.

“It’s a little comedy club I came across.” Sans said, pulling out your chair for you. “They’re kind of a little off the grid.”

“It’s gorgeous.” You said, looking around the elegantly decorated room. Sans shrugged, sitting down across the table from you.

“It’s a nice club.” Sans said, smiling up at the stage, where a young man just went up to begin his routine. A waitress came over to take your orders, but the two of you only wanted some drinks. The comedians were good, some were a little hokey, but you were having a good time with Sans.

“When will you be performing again, man?” One of the waiters came over, greeting Sans with a familiar smile. Your eyes widened in surprise and a large smile crosses your face. Another facet of Sans’ mysterious personality; he was a comedian.

Then again, you’d already known that just by talking to him.

Sans was a little more humble than you’d expected he’d be. “Oh, I’m not sure. I’ve been busy. I’ve been working to the _bone_.”

“I’d like to see you.” You chimed in, smiling at the blue blush that crawled across his face. “I bet you give the crowd a good time.”

Sans nestled his face into his furry jacket hood in shyness. It was cute to see someone so relaxed off their game.

Hey, if he was allowed to make all those puns, you were certainly allowed to tease him.

“You’ve already gotten a taste of my _humerus_.” Sans said, smirking at you. “But you never know when I’ll get my big comedic _break_.”

You couldn’t help but snort into your hands. Sans smiled, enjoying the smile that he caused to blossom across your face. He felt a new sense of confidence and determination.

He was not often selfish, but for once, he wanted something for himself.

Ever since he could remember, Sans had to take care of himself, and then Papyrus. He spent the majority of his life making sure that Papyrus had everything he ever desired, no bit of his life filled with sadness. Then when Frisk came along, and with all those resets, re-living time again and again…watching after Frisk.

For once, Sans wanted to do something for him.

And he wanted you for him.

* * *

The next day was your day off, and you chose to spend it sipping tea with Toriel.

“I uh…have a few questions…about Sans.” You said quietly after a few moments of silence. Toriel smiled, her ears perking up. She giggled, a nice chime that filled you with warmth. You felt shy, like you were asking something shameful.

“What do you want to know?” Toriel smirked, leaning her elbows on the table separating you.

Taking another sip of tea, you then cleared your throat. “What does he… _uh_ …do for a job? He left really early this morning and said it was _one_ of his jobs.”

Toriel frowned. How much should she reveal to you? You were slowly growing closer into their little brick-a-brack family, which Toriel loved dearly. Was it too soon to be bringing up their troubles so soon? Would you be scared off? Some humans avoided monsters for the sole reason of making their lives easier. No drama to deal with…no prejudices to stall their lives.

But…the _look_ in your eyes. The look of truly wanting to know how Sans worked. There was no hidden agenda, no sneakiness; just honest worry and concern.

“Sans…he works most nights at that hot dog stand in the park-”

You jolted up, a horrified expression on your face. “You mean the one a few blocks away? The one where someone gets beaten or mugged at twice a week?”

Toriel nodded sadly. “Papyrus doesn’t…he isn’t able to hold down a job just yet. Sans has another job where he fixes electronics, DVD players and such. His other job is at an ice cream stand along the pier. He’s been searching for another job, but he has so few hours.”

“Why…why does he need _another_ job?” You asked, not understanding.

“Some landlords…aren’t as…kind as our own.” Toriel worded herself carefully. “The complex that Sans and Papyrus are in now is less friendly. And the jobs are only part time with no benefits because he has been unable to find a full time job that can support him and his brother.”

You shook your head, completely shocked. That sounded so unfair, so cruel. “Why can’t they move out?”

“They can’t afford to move, too expensive. That and all the property damage that horrible woman is charging them for.” Toriel sighed. “Their apartment windows are constantly being broken. Or their car. And they helped me with legal fees so the government wouldn’t take Frisk, and I’ve been paying them back when I can, but it’s going to be a little strict around our home for a little while before I can give them any substantial money…”

Putting her forehead in her hand, Toriel sighed. 

You were filled with determination.

“Toriel…don’t worry about this.” You said, finishing off the last of your tea. “I’ve got some calls to make. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

* * *

 

The next morning, you were very busy. Clients were swarming in and out of the office all day, some more pleasant than others. Your feet were killing you from rushing all over the office, but you felt content.

During your lunch break, you texted Sans.

_‘Hey, can you and your bro come over to my house today?’_

Sans never texed you back, so you assumed he was busy at whichever job he was at. While you sat at your desk later into the day, your phone chimed.

‘ _Sure! We’ll be over around six. Sound good?’_

You texted back: _‘Yes! Can’t wait!’_

The drive back to your apartment was a slow one. A wicked snow storm had begun to brew around two in the afternoon, and the city was quickly being blanketed with a thick coating of snow.

Sans had told you that Papyrus’ favorite dish was pasta, anything and everything pasta, but mostly spaghetti and meatballs. When six began rolling around, you threw some linguini into a boiling pot. You made the meatballs yourself and baked them in the oven while the pasta sauce warmed on the stovetop beside the pasta.

“COOL HUMAN DUDE!” Papyrus’ voice called from the hallway. “We have arrived!”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “C’mon in, guys.” You met them at the door and helped them with their coats, which were hung up to dry by the heater. In lieu of a dining room table, you had a small living room table surrounded on three sides by couches.

“PASTA!” Papyrus screamed, rushing towards your kitchen where he spied the cooling meatballs. Sans chuckled at his brother’s exuberance.

“Thanks for inviting us over.” Sans said, pulling a small bundle of flowers from behind his back. Light blue carnations, white wildflowers, deep blue irises, and baby’s-breath wrapped in brown canvas around the stems and tied with a little blue bow. You felt your cheeks burn bright pink as you shyly accepted the flowers. You breathed in deeply, closing your eyes at their lovely scent.

Sans smiled, watching you enjoy the flowers. He hadn’t known what type of flowers to get, since he wasn’t familiar with any of the flowers of the surface. The lady at the flower stand, while surprisingly kind, informed him that there was even a meaning to each flower. That was just too much for him to worry about.

“Papyrus actually picked them out.” Sans offered.

“Papyrus! These are lovely! Let me put these in some water.” You went off to the kitchen, looking for a vase. You didn’t find one, but you did find a rinsed out glass salad dressing container, which would work just as well. You displayed them proudly on your kitchen window sill.

You filled three bowls with spaghetti and meatballs before bringing the brothers to sit on the couches around the living room table.

“This looks wonderful, ______!” Papyrus said gleefully, twirling his noodles around his fork. “Not as good as mine, but still delicious!”

You swallowed your mouthful of pasta. “Thanks, Pap! I can only try.”

Unsure of how to bring up something rather…sensitive, you waited until all your bowls were empty. “I have _uh_ …something I want to talk to you about.”

Sans looked up at you curiously, with nervousness lacing his features. Papyrus looked at you innocently, blinking as he waited for you to continue.

“I was talking to Toriel and she was telling me how her old landlord and your landlord is a complete asshole.” You started off, hearing a snort from Sans.

“She is VERY horrible!” Papyrus nodded.

“So I was wondering if you two would like to move in here with me.” You said, earning a shocked look from both the brothers. “Each apartment has three bedrooms, and I’ve been using them both as guests rooms anyways…-Sans where’re you going?”

Sans had stood from his seat beside you, practically slamming his bowl onto the table. Storming to the front door, you could practically see the anger shaking his bones. Jerking his damp jacket off the hanger, he quickly put it on.

“We don’t need pity.” Sans hissed, glaring you down. One eye was bright blue, with yellow in the center. You had never seen Sans mad, but this wasn’t mad. This was furious. Papyrus shifted nervously in his seat, his fingers clacking against his empty bowl.

“I…I’m not…I don’t.” You stuttered, your heart racing. “I…I don’t want you two living somewhere so unsafe when I have room-”

“We don’t need pity. We don’t need charity. Why do you even give a damn?!” Sans said, still glaring you down. You weren’t sure why he was so angry at you. Had you come off as condescending? You weren’t pitying them; you wanted them safe!

“Toriel told me that you’ve guys have been having a hard time…a-and when times are hard…friends help, bone boy.” You frowned, standing and slowly making your way towards the enraged skeleton.

 _“Don’t call me that.”_ Sans barked, causing you to jump back a bit. “Bro, let’s go.”

Papyrus frowned, sitting up a little straighter. “Brother…I…I want to stay here. ______ is right…our apartment isn’t safe.”

Sans gagged on air, as if he couldn’t believe that his brother was going against him.

“Pap-”

“Sans, Tori is right! You have to work so much! And for what?” Papyrus said, wringing his hands together. “We could live here and you wouldn’t have to work so often! You could come with Frisk and I to the park, or go hangout and do science stuff with Alphys like you used to! You wouldn’t have to work yourself to the bone!”

“Papyrus, don’t be ungrateful. Get. Up. _And. Get. Your. Coat. On_.” Sans growled, reaching up for Papyrus’ coat. A burst of orange light caught your eye. Papyrus’ right eye, the opposite of his brothers, was burning orange with a green center.

“NO!” Papyrus shouted, standing up. “You think I don’t notice, but I do! I’m NOT stupid! I know what’s going on and I don’t want to live at that apartment anymore! The landlord is horrible, our neighbors are horrible, everyone around us on that BLOCK is horrible!”  

Sans glare turned back to you, the blue of his left eye burning even brighter. His teeth and hands clenched, as if he was holding himself back. Jamming his feet back into his slippers, he made his way out of the opened door.

 “FINE! You think I’m just gonna stand here and take this?!” Sans yelled, shocking you. Sans rarely ever raised his voice, but his soothing voice became like a booming clap of thunder. “Stay here! See if I care!”

You heard him stomp down the stairs, probably too angry to wait for the elevator at the end of the hall. Papyrus shook, sitting back down on quaking legs. Scooting closer to him, you wrapped your arm around his shoulder. In the sparse time that you had known the brothers, you knew that serious fights between them were practically non-existent.

“You can stay if you want to, Pap.” You whispered, hoping to not upset him. “I hope I’m not insulting you or anything…but I don’t…I want you to be safe. And Toriel said your house is always getting vandalized. If that was happening to Frisk and Toriel’s house, would you want them there?”

Papyrus slowly shook his head, leaning his weight onto your shoulder.

“I…The great Papyrus, would like to stay.” Papyrus said weakly. Nodding, you stood up and offered him your hand. You led him down the hall that held the bedrooms, and opened two of the doors.

“Take your pick, Pap.” You said, offering the rooms, one decorated in grey and whites while the other was green and white. Papyrus tiredly shuffled into the green room, looking around the barren space. There was only a bed, a closet, a small desk, and a dresser was in the room. You hadn’t really seen a reason to go all-out decorating your spare rooms when you had moved in.

“I’ll get you some extra blankets.” You said, going back to your room to pull a few more blankets and pillows from inside your closet. Back in the green bedroom, Papyrus was removing his scarf-cape combo, a deep frown marring his face.

“Can…Can I get you anything? Water?” You offered weakly, knowing that Papyrus was still shaken from the fight. It had seemed to you that the brothers were rarely ever separated.

Shuffling onto the bed, Papyrus curled into the blankets and nuzzled into the pillows. “D-do you…know any stories?”

A burst of warmth flared in your chest at the innocent, yet broken look that was directed towards you. You hadn’t meant to break up a family…

But you were just trying to help, right?

It wasn’t your fault that Sans had taken your offer the wrong way! You’d been respectful, and you thought that you could trust the skeleton brothers enough to share close quarters with them. Did Sans think differently? Did he see you as a threat? Were you no better than the humans that were so horrible to them?

After all, there was such a thing as too nice…right? 

“Sure, Pap.” You whispered, sitting at the foot of the bed, cross-legged. “Tell me what kind of stories you like.”

Papyrus sighed happily. “Usually…action, with lots of fights! And romance! And adventure!”

Humming to yourself, you decided to recite to him the abridged version of The Lion King. It was a movie that you knew inside and out, a tale you were more than comfortable turning into a bedtime story.

“Once, in the savannah, there was a pride of lions. Those lions were ruled by a king and queen. One day, the king and queen had a son, and they named him Simba…”

You made it to the scene where Simba reconnected with Nala when you realized that Papyrus was fast asleep. His chest rose and fell slightly, his fingers and face twitching in his sleep. Glancing at the clock, you saw that it was almost midnight.

Back into the main room, you cleaned up the remnants of dinner as quietly as you could. You closed your front door, not bothering to lock it. You went back into your bedroom and changed into some sleep ware. You decided to leave your bedroom door open, just in case Papyrus needed you. 

Lying in your bed, staring at the ceilings, you felt your sins crawling on your back.

You’d upset Sans, the usually laid back and relaxed skeleton. You had made him loose his cool. All because of some improper wording. Even as frustrated as you were with him now, you wondered if he was alright. Was he back home? Or out on the street still?

You wanted to go across the hall and talk to Toriel, but she had most likely already been asleep for hours. Grabbing your phone, you reflexively began typing.

_‘Please don’t be mad at Papyrus. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, I was just trying to make sure you’re okay. You and Pap are good friends and I’d feel responsible if something bad happened to the two of you while I had enough space for the both of you. I’m not trying to pity either of you, or see you as a charity case. You’re my friends and I’m just trying to keep you safe.’_

You read over the message a few dozen times. Was it too much? Too mushy? Too close too soon? This had little to do with your romantic feelings. This was about your loyalty and being protective of your friends. Without a second thought, you sent the message before tossing the device back onto your bedside table.

Content with Papyrus sleeping safely a few yards away, you drifted to sleep.


	7. Sorting Out The Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

_-I’m just trying to keep you safe.’_

Sans barely held in a snort as he read your message.

It had always been Papyrus and Sans, no one else. Sans kept his brother safe and in check while at the same time taking care of himself. He didn’t need anyone to take care of him. He was a man-a skeleton-but a capable adult monster none the less. He didn’t need help from some boy.

Then again, you weren’t some boy.

You were the guy he would text in the middle of the night with a pun. The guy who sat next to him during dinner at Tori’s and giggled with him. The guy he shared popcorn, laughs, and warmth with when you walked. The guy who loved Frisk and his brother…  

Opening up the door to his apartment building, Sans refused to make eye contact with the desk man who sneered at him. He heard his neighbors whispering about him and ‘those monsters’ as he passed. He wasn’t surprised when he got to his door to find a piece of paper taped to his door reading: ‘GET OUT FREAK OR GET DEAD’.

Opening the creaking door, Sans could tell by the dented knob and busted keyhole that someone had tried to break in again. One of the windows was taped shut, he just didn’t have the money to pay the landlady back for another window replacement. That was the third time this month.

Shuffling into the dim kitchen, Sans’ opened up the ancient fridge. He pulled out bottle after bottle of hot sauce from the shelf and downed them as quickly as he could. It burned and it warmed the inside of his bones and made his magic crackle within him.

With the same feeling of when he drank too much alcohol, Sans slumped into the living room. Their couch was lumpy and had springs sticking out of the seats. The walls were cracked and pipes dripped. Every complaint that Sans sent to the landlady to have a maintenance man come and fix something was mysteriously lost.

If he did leave…wouldn’t that be letting those bastards win? They’d get the monster out of their apartment building…

But, Sans would be safer. Papyrus, too. They’d be able to shop in the same grocery store as ______ and Toriel, where there was little to no harassment. He wouldn’t need to worry about Papyrus being home alone in the apartment.

It wouldn’t be an apartment, it would be a home.

Groaning, Sans slapped his hands over his face. Why didn’t he keep his cool? He should have accepted _______’s offer with a million thanks, but instead he tossed it back in his face. He’d taken his frustration of being chased out on him.

Sans stayed up that entire night, contemplating his options. The rent had tripled since they had moved in only a few months ago. What was once $400 dollars for each brother each was now $1,200. That was $2,400 in rent each month alone and the land lady tacked on an extra $200 each time one of their friends spent the night. That wasn’t counting the raised prices of utilities, food, power…

The morning sun shone through the dusty windows. Sitting up, Sans rubbed at his aching face once more. The moment the cracked clock on the wall hit eight o’clock, his cell phone began to blare in his pocket. Sliding out the device, he held it to his skull.

“Sans the skeleton, what insanity has absorbed into your skull?!” Toriel admonished before Sans could even mutter a greeting. “________ is completely distraught! Papyrus didn’t even want to wake up for breakfast this morning! Frisk had to beg him to leave his room!”

Sans winced. Papyrus loved breakfast, especially when Toriel cooked. The idea of upsetting the two people most important to him made his nonexistent guts churn.

“I…Tori…I don’t want him to pity us.” Sans admitted. “I don’t want him to think I can’t handle myself. To think I can’t provide any kind of life for myself, or my brother, or him! How could he see me as a man…how a man sees a man he could p-possibly..., knowing I couldn’t handle something as simple as-”

Toriel scoffed. “He doesn’t care! _______ just wants Papyrus and you out of that horrible place. I was so happy when Frisk and I got out of there, but my heart broke when you two stayed.”

Silence rang over the phone line. Every monster had it hard when they came to the surface. Some humans were just too bitter, too close-minded.

“I’m going to start packing.” Sans said, pushing himself off the couch.

“I think you should see ______ first. Or call him. He came over this morning.” Toriel said sadly, her tone making Sans wince. “Poor thing was so upset.”

“I yelled…I didn’t mean to. I need to apologize, I completely went off on him.” Sans admitted. Toriel chuckled, confusing Sans greatly. There was nothing funny about the way he had behaved towards you.

“He wasn’t upset over the fight. Well, a little bit, but he was mostly worried.” Toriel said.

“Worried?” Sans frowned, confused. Worried that their friendship was over?

“Worried about you, Sans.” Toriel chimed, a small smile crossing her face. “Worried if you made it back to your apartment, or if you were going to work during the snow storm at that forsaken stand in the park. If you made it home safe. That was what was on his mind.”

Jamming on a pair of his rarely used sneakers, Sans felt breathless. “What’s the address of that office he works at?”

Toriel chuckled as she repeated the name and address of the office. “He has lunch in an hour.”

Sans locked his door and rushed down the hall. He needed to apologize.

* * *

 

Your bagel that morning had been tasteless like plastic. Lunch tasted like nothing to you. Toriel had tried to cheer you up, but the only thing that could make you smile was Frisk stumbling sleepily from their room. You didn’t want them to know that something was amiss.

You had arranged, then re-arranged your desk a few times that day. Very few clients had come in today due to the four inches of snow that had hit last night. You were left to listen to some music on YouTube, or take some pointless online quizzes to pass your time.

The glass entrance door to the main lobby opened. Sans walked in slowly, looking around. You wilted a little in your desk, unsure of if you should wave. There were two other office doors in the building, but the glass walls would give you away if Sans looked to his right.

And of course, he did.

With his hands jammed into his coat pockets, Sans used his shoulder to push open the glass door to the main office. You tapped your fingers against your desk nervously. Had he come here to yell at you?

Coming to stand in front of your desk, the white pinpricks of Sans eyes tried to meet yours. You were too nervous to make long lasting eye contact. Hell, you were too nervous to even say something.

“I’m sorry.”

Glancing up, you pursed your lips at the remorseful skeleton in front of you.

“I didn’t want you to think less of me or my brother. That you felt guilty and needed to help us. How are you supposed to see me as a man when-”

“I do see you as a man!” You said, your heart pounding in your chest. You couldn’t believe you were going to spill your guts this way; after a fight. “You’re sweet, and kind, and funny, and smart. You are an incredible person, and there’s no one stronger than you in this damn city that I know!”

Sans blushed deep blue, from his neck vertebrae to the top of his skull.

“I would really love it if you would move in.” You whispered. “I get that there’s shitty people out there, but you’re not doing yourself any favors by suffering because of them.”

Sans reached across the top of the desk and gripped your hand. His hands were cold from the temperature, but there was warmth that smoldered from him. He squeezed your hand so tightly and you squeezed right back.

“If you think you have the _guts_ to deal with us.” Sans joked, a sly smile on his face. “If…you still can stand me, that is.”

Without a second thought, you were sprinting around the back of your desk. Once away from the massive wrap around desk, you swung your arms around Sans. You gripped his shoulders beneath his jacket, your face pressed into his neck. His arms wrapped around your shoulders and squeezed you to his chest.

“I am so sorry, _______.” Sans whispered in your ear. The warmth of his voice so close to your face had you blushing and your stomach tumbling. You couldn’t help but nuzzle deeper into Sans, and taking in his scent.

“Everything’s alright.” You whispered, moving your head so that your cheek pressed against his warm cheekbone. Sans pressed your cheeks together as you talked, enjoying the feeling of your flesh melding to the stiffness of his bones. “And everything will be better once you’re all settled in.”

Sans nodded, his fingers digging into the back of your top. He didn’t want to let you go; not while he felt so grounded in this moment. After the uncertainty that he had dealt with all his life, he felt the sense of reality and peace while he held you. 

“I’ve got to get back to work.” You whispered, reluctantly pulling away from Sans. Sans smiled up at you, a grin as big as you’ve ever seen stretched across his skull. He left the office with a small wave. You went back to your desk and picked up the phone. You pressed a very familiar extension and greeted the person on the other end.

“Hey, Deb.” You said. “I’ve got a favor to call in. You’re not going to believe the case I’ve got for you.”

* * *

Sans went back to his apartment, feeling so amazing that he would soon be free of this putrid place. Pushing open his dented door, someone tried to break in again, Sans set straight to packing. Boxes were folded, taped, and then filled with belongings.

Deciding to call his brother, Sans began to nervously tap his foot as he dumped a drawer of utensils into a box. The phone rang a few more times than normal, but Papyrus did eventually pick up.

“Sans…” Papyrus’ voice was soft and low, so unlike his normal tone. Sans frowned. He hadn’t meant to hurt his brother.

“Pap…I’m sorry, bro. I’m packing up our stuff now.” Sans said, practically tossing different belongings into unlabeled boxes. “I’ve never thought you were stupid. I’ve just been trying to protect you.”

Papyrus let out a little whine. “I want to protect you too, brother. You’re really packing? You’re coming home?”

Home. Papyrus already thought of your apartment as home. Sans had never heard his brother call this shit hole apartment a home. Not once.

“I love you, Sans.” Papyrus said softly, but soon his voice was back to his normal boom. “And you are lucky to have the love of THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Sans chuckled, relief filling his bones. “Love you too, bro. I’m going to get back to packing.”

The next few hours felt incredible. The entire apartment was barren, but the boxes still needed to be moved. There weren’t that many boxes. Maybe seven. Taping the final box shut, Sans was surprised when a loud rapping came at his door.

“Skeleton, open the door!” The landlady shrieked through the wood. Sans opened the door, revealing the seething woman.

“What the hell is this!?” The woman screamed, shoving a packet of paper into the shorter skeleton’s ribs. Confused, Sans focused on the papers, eye sockets growing as he read each sentence. It was a long list of legal offences against the landlady, and based on the authentic seal they had been delivered legally.

“That is a lawsuit.”

Sans looked into the hallway to see you practically storming up to his door. You looked pissed, like a beast on a mission. He’d seen a similar expression held by Undyne when someone messed with Alphys or an innocent child. Behind you was an older woman in a dress suit, looking just as severe.

“What?!” The landlady squawked, ripping the papers from Sans’ hands. “What the fuck for?!”

“For the rights of your tenants.” The older woman said as you shoved past the landlady, practically bowling her over to get into the apartment. “You’ve violated multiple laws and profiled my clients. You’ve conned them and now you’re getting your comeuppance.”  

Sans allowed the older woman you brought along with you to chew out the landlady while he followed you into the apartment. You whistled at how quickly Sans had emptied the apartment. You couldn’t believe how beaten up the place looked. It was freezing in the apartment, too. Picking up a small box and tucking it under your arm, Sans stood in front of you.

“What…who is that? What’s with all this legal stuff?” Sans asked. You smirked, looking like the cat that caught the canary.

“That, is a rather lovely attorney from the office I work at, Miss Deb. I’ve talked with Papyrus about all the shit that you’ve been through here. It’s being taken care of.” You stated simply, smiling at the dumbfounded expression on Sans’ face.

 “No one messes with my boys.” You winked, hooking your fingers under Sans’ chin to close his gaping mouth. Back out in the hallway, the gravity of the situation had the landlady practically in tears. The attorney, Miss Deb, was still laying into the land lord about how much trouble she were in with the law.

“Let’s pack up.” You whispered, nodding for Sans to grab a box. You piled boxes into both your cars, even though the classic convertible that they owned could only hold three of the boxes. The apartment was quickly wiped clean and you were ready to head home.

“All I need is for my client to agree to press the charges.” Miss Deb said, glancing towards Sans. With your supportive hand on his shoulder, Sans nodded that he would. You ushered Sans away to your cars, letting the attorney do her job.

“I can’t afford some fancy lawyer.” Sans said, still in awe. You glared at one of the neighbors you passed, who quickly avoided your venomous gaze.

“Don’t worry, bone…Sans.” You said, quickly choosing not to use the nickname. “Miss Deb owes me a favor. This will be taken care of quick.” 

Sans was quiet as you both walked towards your cars. He couldn’t believe that not only had you opened your home, but had even called in a favor for him. Even after he yelled at you. “T-thank you…”

You glanced down at Sans, hugging him tightly. “Don’t mention it.”

“You…you can call me…bone boy…if you want.” Sans said, having noticed your reluctance to use the nickname. The last time you’d used it, he had snapped at you. Hugging Sans a bit tighter, you nodded.

“I’ll meet you home then, bone boy.” You laughed, getting in your car and pulling out of the parking lot. Sans got into his car and sat at the wheel in shock for a few moments.


	8. Coloring and Frisk Makes a Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Papyrus happily met you outside when you pulled up to your apartment building. He grabbed the largest box out of the backseat of your car and practically sprinted towards the elevator. The skeleton brother’s convertible, with the top up of course, pulled into the parking lot next to you a few moments later.

“Good timing!” You called to Sans when he opened his car door. Sans chuckled, grabbing the box out of his passenger seat before slamming his driver side door. The two of you took the elevator up to drop off the boxes. It looked like Papyrus was jogging up and down the stairs with the boxes he snatched up.

“He can spare some energy.” Sans laughed, barley dodging out of the way as Papyrus almost mowed him down while trying to carry the final box into the apartment. Setting the box in your arms down onto the breakfast bar, you dusted off your hands and let out a deep breath.

“Welcome home, boys!” You cheered. “How does lasagna for dinner sound?”

Papyrus practically shrieked, grabbing one of the boxes of his personal effects and running to his room. “HUMAN! YOU MUST SEE ALL THE REPLICAS AND ASSIST IN A BATTLE SCENARIO!”

Confused, you looked towards Sans, who was chuckling under his breath. “He has a lot of action figures-”

“FROM SANTA!”

“Yes, from Santa.” Sans smiled. “And he practices battle strategies with them.” 

“Sounds like a plan, Pap! Can’t wait!” You called to the excited skeleton. In the kitchen, you started to cook dinner. Sans stood in the archway awkwardly, watching you putter around.

“What can I do to help?” Sans offered, shuffling up to the counter. Humming in thought, you handed him a jar of pasta sauce.

“I’ll lay down the noodles and you spread out some sauce. Sounds good?” You asked, beginning to layer cheese and noodles. Popping open the jar of pasta sauce, Sans and you began to make a large pan of lasagna. It was put into the oven and all there was left to do was wait.

You went into the bathroom to take a shower, leaving Sans to begin unpacking his things while you all waited for dinner. The shower water was already causing the bathroom to fill with steam. Showers had always been a very comforting ritual for you.

While undressing, you looked towards your figure in the mirror. Could Sans ever find you attractive? The color of your skin, all the smooth, flat, rounded, muscled, and scarred surfaces of your body. The lines that made up your hips and chest. In certain places you could see hints of your skeletal structure while others were layered with skin and flesh.

Would he be attracted only to certain parts of you, or the entire package?

Being very comfortable with your body, you made a few confident poses in the mirror. That always cheered you up. You made some goofier poses too before hopping into the steaming shower and soaping up.

Your ritual was soon over and you were wrapped up in comfortable sleep ware just before the oven timer went off. With your hair still dripping a little water, you slid the lasagna onto the stove top. You could hear Sans puttering around in his room, the grey and white bedroom, putting away his belongings.

“Soups on!” You hollered, pulling plates out of the cabinet. As a last thought, you pulled your half-empty bottle of ketchup out of the fridge door. You’d have to stock up with some condiments at the store.

It wasn’t like you were trying to buy Sans’ affection with condiments…right?

“I thought we were having lasagna, not soup!” Papyrus said, poking his head out of his room.

Blushing, you scratched the back of your neck. “It’s just a figure of speech. Dinner’s ready. I’m just gonna ask Toriel and Frisk if they want any.”

Toriel answered the door quickly with a smile that was a little forced.

“Just wanted to tell you that Paps and Sans are all settled in. Oh, I was wondering if you and Frisk would like dinner.” You smiled, but you frowned when Toriel’s forced smile slid from her face.

“No thank you, sweetheart. Frisk already ate dinner and is busy with homework.” Toriel said, fiddling with a simple bangle that was wrapped around her wrist.

“Is…everything alright with you, Tori?” You whispered, seeing the exhausted expression on her face. Sighing, she rubbed her hands across her face and then tugged at her ears.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what to wear for my date with Asgore.” She said, sounding absolutely forlorn. “I don’t want to be too flashy, but I don’t want to wear something that would cause him to turn up his nose.”

“Nothing you could ever wear could make him do that.” You said, causing a blush to erupt from underneath Toriel’s fur.

“How about I come over before work tomorrow morning and help?” You offered. Toriel, in a burst of joy, wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug and rocked you some side to side. You said good night to the queen, crossing the hall to get back to your lasagna.

Inside, Papyrus was already lounged across one of your couches, munching on a large plate of lasagna while watching television. Sans came out of the kitchen with a full plate and a bottle of water. He passed the plate to you with a silly flourish. “For the handsome gentleman.” 

Blushing, you accepted the hot plate. Instead of choosing to sit on the third couch by himself, Sans took a seat right beside you. Dinner was eaten in relative silence, a few chuckles at the show Papyrus had picked.

Cleanup was done quickly and the leftovers were put away into the fridge. Papyrus and Sans took their turns in the bathroom, putting their toothbrushes and such into the bathroom. You kept your bedroom door open, just as you had last night.

You could hear Sans and Papyrus talking in Papyrus’ bedroom. You smiled. You’d lived on your own for so long, it was nice to have people you loved and trusted around you. Sans quietly called for you. Getting out of bed, you shuffled into Papyrus’ room.

Pap was in bed, wrapped in blankets and lounging on a mountain of pillows. Sans was sitting on a small stool next to the bed, a worn book in his lap. It looked like the book had been read and re-read for years. Sans smiled up at you, wearing a pair of baggy black sweatpants and a white tank top.  

“Need more blankets?” You chuckled, seeing as Pap had at least five blankets. Pap shook his head.

“Sans doesn’t know the story from last night.” Papyrus chimed, holding one of his blankets up to his chin. Sans shot an amused glance your way. Who didn’t know The Lion King?!

“What’s the last thing you remember?” You asked, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. Sans watched as his brother reminded you of where you left off. It was sweet. You were sweet. He watched as your eyes lit up and your hands moved as you told your story. Papyrus was enraptured in the new tale, if his massive smile and wriggling feet were any indication.  

The story ended just in time, Papyrus’ heavy eye sockets closing in exhaustion. Sans watched fondly as you gingerly climbed off Papyrus’ bed and started to tip-toe back to your room. “Have a good night, bone boy. Come get me if you need anything.”

Unsure of how to respond, Sans watched you walk away. You slid into your bed, practically burrowing into your blankets. You snuggled down and got into a comfortable position for the night.

Sans sat in Papyrus’ room for a few more moments, bouncing between watching his brother and glancing towards your open bedroom door. Stretching his stiff bones, Sans slowly made his way over to your bedroom. You were already asleep, breathing deeply and held a content expression on your face. Stepping up to the side of your bed, Sans couldn’t help but brush your cheek with the tips of his fingers. You flinched a little in your sleep, but remained dead to the world. You nudged at his hand, the smooth bone sliding over your cheek.

Slowly cupping your cheek, Sans smiled down at you. There was no way this was real, right? He’d wake up tomorrow morning in Snowdin, go wait for Frisk to come, and then live through hell another time.

Then again…would it be so bad for him to hope that this was real?

Sans left your room quietly, stepping back into the living room. He went around the room, making sure the front door was locked and all the windows as well. He felt restless, like he was filled with energy.

Taking a seat on the couch, Sans turned the volume on low and turned on the television. He thumbed through your movies, laughing at some of your genera choices. It was astounding how interesting you were. How many facets there were to your personality.   

Slumping into the couch, Sans fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, you were sitting on your bathroom counter getting ready for work. Teeth and hair brushed, your face washed, and you looked as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as you could. Papyrus was still sound asleep, but Sans was sitting in the kitchen.

“Coffee maker is next to the toaster.” You said, shoving some snacks into a little bag. “It’s one of those small pot ones, but it works. There’s food in the fridge, too!”

Sans, looking like a sleepy puppy, smiled dopily at you. He waggled his fingers at you as you dashed out the door, scarf flying behind you.

Thought the day, Sans kept sending you little texts about what he and Papyrus were doing. You were elated to get back to home. Tonight was the night that you and Sans were to watch Frisk for Toriel’s date.

When closing time came around, you rushed back home. You helped Toriel decide on a flowing midnight blue colored dress with a matching coat. By the time Asgore was at the door to pick her up, Toriel had primed and powdered herself to perfection. She looked beautiful!

“He’s getting one more chance.” Toriel muttered as you helped her pick out shoes. “Just once more.”

When Asgore knocked at the door, he was practically blown away at the sight of Toriel. He coughed into his elbow, trying to situate himself. Tori was just as beautiful as he could ever remember. You watched with Frisk, hidden in the shadow of the hallway, giggling.

“Have a good time!” You cooed, taking Frisk by the hand. Frisk was giggling, signing _‘Have a good night, mom!’_ Toriel giggled, snatching Frisk up into her arms and smothering their face in kisses. Frisk flailed wildly, playfully trying to wriggle out of their mother’s arms.

Toriel and Asgore went off into the night, ready to have a nice quiet dinner together. You brought Frisk back to your apartment, where Sans was finishing up dinner for the three of you. Papyrus was out with Undyne, something about temperature training.

“Heya, boss.” Sans greeted Frisk, who giggled and raced over to the skeleton to wrap him in a tight hug. The two rolled onto the couch, giggling as they wrestled over who was to be the destined ‘Leader of the couch’.

You went into the kitchen to grab a drink. With the cold glass in your hand, you watched Sans and Frisk interact from the kitchen. The child was sitting in the skeleton’s lap, big eyes trained on the animated movie that Sans had turned on. Frisk was slowly signing to Sans, who was nodding his head. You couldn’t see what Frisk was signing, but you could hear Sans’ deep baritone whisper.

“Sure…sure, boss. I don’t see why not.” Sans chuckled. “Aren’t you getting ahead of the game?”

Frisk shook their head, hair flying in every direction. They made a few more signs.

“Oh…oh really? You think so, kiddo?” Sans sounded amused, but a little caught off guard. “I don’t know. I don’t have any solid proof. Sorry to burst your bubble, kiddo.”

Frisk skittered from Sans’ lap and practically rammed into your knees in the rush to get to you. Placing down your glass, you picked up the child in your arms. Frisk wrapped their arms around your neck and kissed your cheek.

Unwrapping their arms from around your neck, Frisk started to sign. ‘ _Do you like kisses_?’

“Of course, big boss.” You laughed, squeezing Frisk harder. Sans was watching the two of you from his seat on the couch. Peering over the edge, the shorter skeleton was practically glaring a hole into the back of Frisk’s head.

_‘Do you have a boyfriend?’_

The flurry of signs shocked you. Where was this coming from? Maybe they were curious about Toriel’s date.

“Nope.” You said. “Why so curious?”

Frisk shrugged, a smug smile on their face. They glanced back towards Sans and hummed. _‘Sans doesn’t have a boyfriend.’_

Oh…that’s what they’re doing.

“I made cupcakes!” You practically yelped, feeling yourself beginning to sweat. “You want one Frisk? Yeah? C’mon, let’s get one!”

You hid in the kitchen, sitting Frisk down on the counter top. You frowned at the kid, who didn’t look the least bit shameful. You felt like you were burning up. “Frisk, what was up with that?”

Frisk deflated a little, looking disheartened. They pouted, shrugging their shoulders. _‘You like Sans. How Asgore likes mom.’_

What to do…what to do…? Be honest with Frisk and risk them telling Sans, or lie to the kid’s face. You’d promised yourself that you’d never lie to Frisk, not even a little white lie. You’d been told too many lies as a kid and you never wanted Frisk to feel like you had.

“I do.” You whispered. “Very… _very_ much so. But I don’t want to ruin our friendship. That and he just moved in here and I don’t want him to feel pressured to deal with me. Sometimes…it’s easier not to tell people how you feel. I want Sans to _like_ me because it’s true, not because he pities me. Makes sense?”  

Frisk was quiet for a moment, but they nodded eventually. It was a lot for a child to take in. Then again, Frisk has always been very emotionally mature for their age. Frisk smiled, reaching out to hug you again. ‘ _Sorry_.’

“Don’t worry about it, cutie pie. C’mon, let’s color some pictures for your mom. Sound good?” Frisk clapped at your idea and allowed you to carry them back into the living room, where Sans was pretending to watch the movie. Sans smiled up at you when you playfully threw Frisk down onto the couch.

“I’ll go get some paper and crayons.” You said, heading towards your room where you kept the art supplies. Frisk curled themselves onto Sans’ lap and tugged at the edges of his jacket. Sans hummed, running his fingers through Frisk’s hair.

“Gonna draw something with _________, kiddo?” Sans asked, a little nervous from what had just happened. He couldn’t believe that Frisk had practically run into your arms moments after he confided in Frisk how he felt about you.

 _‘Color for mom.’_ Frisk nodded, smiling brightly up at Sans. _‘If you and ________ were boyfriends, you would still be friends, right?’_

Feeling his bones start to shake with nerves, Sans glanced towards the hallway to see if you were on your way back. He could hear you rooting around in your room, so he was safe to talk for now.

“Frisk, yes, if _______ and I were ever together, we would still be friends.” Sans whispered quietly.

 _‘_________ says he doesn’t want to be your boyfriend because you wouldn’t be friends anymore. Something about not wanting to pressure you or because you don’t want to. He likes you, uncle._ ’ Frisk signed quickly, feeling frustrated. Sans liked you, you liked Sans, there was no reason in their mind for the two of you not to be together.

Sans’ phantom heart began to pound wildly in his chest.

Firstly, you liked him. He heard it straight from Frisk’s mouth.. _er_ …saw it straight from Frisk’s hands. Frisk was many things: determined, brave, cunning, and intelligent; but they were not a liar. That must have been what you and Frisk were whispering about in the kitchen.

Hope, Sans felt hope. He felt determined and hopeful that he could have something, _someone_ , in his life that wouldn’t be reset or be lost to time and space. He felt grounded, he felt like soaring, he felt like singing, and he also felt so nervous that he felt like throwing up a little bit.

Something else raced across Sans’ mind, making the skeleton freeze.

“Did…did’ya just call me uncle?” Sans found himself flabbergasted. Frisk blinked, staring down at their own hands. They hadn’t meant to say that, it just slipped out.

 _‘Sorry, Sans.’_ Frisk signed, shyly looking away from the skeleton. Sans snorted, grasping the attention of the child.

“That’s no way to talk to your uncle, kiddo.”

Squealing, Frisk threw themselves into Sans’ arms. The two giggled and chuckled, which is what you walked in on a few minutes later.

“Where are all my hugs?” You pretended to be heartbroken, falling to your knees on the carpet. Frisk jumped at you, practically knocking you onto your ass in a massive hug. You giggled, rolling around on the carpet with the small child.

Laughing wildly, you were shocked into silence when a pair of arms wrapped around you from behind. Two strong, but boney arms practically hefted you into a warm ribcage that smelled like old books, tomatoes, and musk. You hugged Sans back, who gently swayed the both of you for a moment before setting you back on the ground beside Frisk. 

“Don’t get hug greedy.” Sans sat down between you and Frisk, handing them a piece of blank paper. The three of you started to draw in relative silence, giggling every so often when someone drew something funny or ridiculous.

Frisk had drawn Toriel a large snail with a rainbow shell. While Frisk was focused on which red to pick for the shell (You mean, brick red and rouge red were so different, right?) Sans lent over to slide his drawing your way.

Glancing at the paper, you saw that Sans had drawn a cartoon bone with a smiley face. Giggling, you reached over and drew a moustache on the bone.

“I _moustache_ you a question…was it necessary for you to de _face_ such a piece of art?” Sans said, picking a new color crayon and beginning to doodle.

The three of you spent the next few hours drawing on the living room floor.

At some point during the night, both you and Frisk had nodded off. Sans stood up from the floor, stretching out his bones just as someone came knocking at the door. Sans didn’t bother to attempt waking you up and opened the door to reveal a smitten Toriel.

“I’m here for Frisk.” Toriel said, her eyes fluttery.

Turning back into the apartment to get Frisk, Sans laughed quietly. “I’m assuming the date went well.”

“Exceptionally well.” Toriel said, cooing at the sight of you and Frisk curled up on the floor. Toriel picked Frisk up in her arms while Sans picked up all of the drawings Frisk had created. Sans helped Toriel into her apartment, where she quickly put Frisk down to bed.

“Frisk drew you some pictures. Really worked hard on them.” Sans said, handing Toriel the drawings. Giggling, Toriel began dancing around the apartment hanging up the pictures on every available surface.

Sans smiled, happy to see Toriel so elated. While Toriel loved Frisk, there were certain voids that the love of a child couldn’t fill. Toriel had a bond with Asgore; a bond that two parents that have lost children together.

“Thank you so much, _______ too. I needed this night. This beautiful, beautiful night.” Toriel practically sang. “How was your night?”

“Great. Fantastic.” Sans sighed dreamily, becoming practically boneless as he leaned against the door frame.

Toriel giggled. “It seems like we both had rather invigorating nights. Any news you want to tell me?”  

“Nothing…life changing, per say.” Sans said nonchalantly, trying to play it cool. “Just a little bit of information that a certain little boss told me.”

Toriel beamed, amused with her child’s mischievousness. She probably should have been more cautious about your conversations; Frisk had ears all over the apartment. And they may have heard you admit your crush on Sans a few times.

“Will I be hearing anything from a certain neighbor in the morning? Something along the line of  a new relationship?” Toriel teased, loving the neon blue blush that washed across Sans’ face.

“Nothing like t-that…uhh…” Sans said, scratching the back of his skull. “I still need to ahh…find a way to ask him if he actually is interested.”

Toriel hummed, smiling down at the small skeleton.

“Good luck, Sans. Oh, what was it that ________ calls you? Bone boy.” Toriel teased, watching as Sans dashed out of the apartment in embarrassment.

Back in the apartment, you were still asleep on the living room floor, amongst the paper and crayons. He didn’t want to wake you up, but he didn’t want you to get sore sleeping on the floor. The floor was still hard; no matter how plush the rug was.

“C’mon, time for sleep.” He whispered, leaning down and taking you into his arms. You grumbled in your sleep, but quickly settled down in the skeleton’s arms. Walking slow as to not awaken you, Sans took you into your bedroom.

Without turning the bedroom light on, Sans shouldered open the door and took you over to your bed. Nudging the blankets down, he rested you down gently. Signing, you unconsciously nuzzled into the cool sheets and hummed when Sans tucked the blankets around you snuggly.

“Good night, babe.” Sans whispered, brushing the back of his knuckle bones across your cheek.

Leaving you to sleep, Sans went around the apartment locking the door and windows. Papyrus wouldn’t be home due to training, so tonight would be a story-less night.

Feeling content and hopeful, Sans put himself to bed, leaving his bedroom door open.

Just in case you needed anything.


	9. Determination For A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Sans was the first one awake the next morning.

Dragging himself out of bed, Sans automatically went down the hall to check on Papyrus. Seeing his younger brother snoring away, Sans felt content enough to get himself some breakfast. He made a short pit stop at your doorway; just long enough to smile at you as you slumbered away.  

You were twisted around your blankets and sheets, pillow tossed onto the floor. Your leg dangled off the bed and your hair hung around your relaxed face. All tension in your body was gone, and Sans thought you were adorable when you slept. Not that you weren’t adorable when you were awake.

Once in the kitchen, and having turned the coffee pot on, Sans sat the breakfast bar on one of the stools to wait. This gave him time to contemplate his next move. Should he be blunt and direct with you and just tell you how he felt? Take you out somewhere nice? Show you how he appreciates everything you’ve done and do for him and his brother.

Maybe he should test the waters a bit, ask Alphys to question you. _Gingerly question_. Interrogation was never a good way to start a relationship.

Placing his forehead on the cool counter, Sans groaned to himself. Was it better to plainly state his emotions, or present them to you as flashily as he could? What did most monsters do in these situations? Alphys and Undyne had come together in many different ways, due to many different timelines.

 He could feel a headache start to bloom in his skull.

A creak and shuffle from the hallway alerted him to someone approaching. You entered the main room looking like a zombie, bleary eyed and hair in disarray from tossing in your sleep. Your bare feet padded against the kitchen’s tile floor, and you greeted the skeleton with a quiet whisper.

“Mornin’. Want any coffee?” Sans asked, just noticing that the coffee had finished brewing sometime during his daydreaming. Shaking your head, too early for words, you grabbed a hoodie off the rack and opened the front door. “Where are you off too, babe?”

Freezing in shock, you shuddered to a stop. “ _Uhh_..it’s Friday. I have off and I usually have breakfast with Tori.” Your blush was practically a glowing beacon at this point. _Babe_ \--what was up with that? Not that you minded, you actually liked that. _Liked it a lot._

Sans couldn’t believe his fat mouth. Then again, he didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, _literally_. Babe? Here he was trying to be smooth and he can barely keep it together for five minutes. And babe, how cliché can you get? He wanted to bash his skull against the counter top.

Then again, going by your face, you seemed to like it.

Didn’t make it any less embarrassing for the poor skeleton.

“Oh, have fun.” Sans blushed.

“Y-you can come with me, if you want. Tori’s making pancakes.” You smiled, practically drooling at the thought of Toriel’s pancakes. You’d never had pancakes better; you doubted anyone could contend with Toriel’s skills.

Sans smiled, happy with the invitation. “I’ll head over in a little.”

Wiggling your fingers at Sans, you crossed the hall and knocked on Toriel’s door. Frisk answered, their mouth surrounded with maple syrup. “Good morning, maple mouth!”

Grabbing your hand, Frisk led you into the apartment and put you at the table right beside them. Toriel smiled at the two of you from behind her coffee mug. Frisk went back to sleepily shoveling syrup coated pancakes into their mouth.

Making yourself a plate, you smiled up at Toriel. “So spill! How’d the date go?”

Sighing dreamily, Toriel rested her cheek into her hand. “It was wonderful. Asgore took me to that little restaurant a few streets down, you know the one that’s decorated with fairy lights. The food was delicious and he was so tentative. And look!”

Brushing her ears over her shoulders, Toriel showed off a golden pendant that hung from her neck. It was a tiny golden snail shell on a delicate chain. There was so much detail in the dime-sized shell; it was clearly crafted by an expert artisan.

“That is beautiful!” You said, earning a giggle from the goat monster.

“I told him that gifts would never buy me back, but this doesn’t seem like a meaningless gift. He put so much thought, effort, and time into this. It…it symbolizes how he wants to be forgiven.” Toriel sighed, her eyes glazed in adoration.

Frisk gagged, snickering when Toriel shot them a playful glare. _‘I’m happy.’_

“I’m glad you’re happy, sweetheart.” Toriel absolutely beamed. It meant the world to her that Frisk approved. She didn’t need their approval, but she felt much more comfortable getting into a relationship with Asgore knowing that Frisk was happy with the arrangement.

_‘I’ll be even more happy when Uncle Sans finally takes ________ out on a date.’_

You began choking on your pancake, thumping your closed fist on your chest to try and dislodge the lump of food. Toriel, while worried about your restricted airway, laughed with Frisk. She knew her little child was a, _what did Alphys call them_ , a shipper. Someone who ships people together and instigates relationships.

“Frisk, why don’t you go get your backpack and coat. You don’t want to be late for the bus, do you?” Toriel said, a large smirk on her face. Frisk dashed back into their room to finish getting ready for school. Tapping her nails on the tabletop, Toriel was practically beaming at you. You knew what kinds of questions she was going to ask.

“I like him, alright.” You hissed, nervously glancing at the open door. Sans could come over at any moment. “I don’t…want to freak him out though.”

Toriel looked confused, the fur between her eyes wrinkling. “Why would you…freak him out, as you say?”

Sighing, you scrubbed at your face with your hands. “We’re friends, and if Sans doesn’t want to be anything more than that…I don’t want him to feel like he has to. I don’t need a pity date.”

Frowning, Toriel reached across the table to grip your hand. You squeezed back, comforted by the warmth of her furry hand. The touch calmed the storm that had been brewing in your mind. You had spent the past few days weighing the pros and cons of asking Sans on a date. Could it possibly be worth the risk of making your friendship awkward?

“What is the worst possible scenario you see happening?” Toriel asked, rubbing her thumb over the back of your hand.

“Sans tells me no, moves out, and then we’re not friends and we never speak again for the rest of our lives.” You rambled, letting out a deep breath of relief to finally let those thoughts out of your head. Toriel snorted, which you glared up at. How dare she mock your mental anguish!

“And what is the best possible outcome?” Toriel smiled.

“I ask him on a date and we have a good time, and we’re happy because I really like him. And he’s happy too, because maybe he likes me back.” You rushed out, but this time you felt a warmth burning in your chest. It seemed too good to be true, then again, it was nothing more than a day dream.

“Knowing Sans…which I do, and you do as well, why do you like him?” Toriel prodded gently. If you had been paying attention to Toriel’s eyes instead of your hands, you would have seen the glance she gave towards the opened front door that was no longer empty.

“He’s just…Sans’ just…so sweet. He’s funny, and kind, and smart. He makes me feel calm, so calm when he’s around. Usually my mind is running a million miles a minute and it’s really hard for me to relax. Sans makes…everything easier.” You couldn’t help but sigh again.  

Toriel, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, patted your hand. “You really love him, then.”

“Woah!” You exclaimed, shaking your hands. “I-I really like Sans, but love maybe too soon. I can see myself…loving him. Very quickly. But for now, it’s just a pointless crush.”

Frowning, Toriel’s grip on your hand tightened. “You don’t know Sans how Frisk and I know Sans, _not yet at least_. And let me tell you something-”

Leaning in close, you were extremely interested.

“Nothing about how you feel is pointless. Stay determined.”

* * *

 

Sans stood in the shadow of the front door, his jaw bone practically on the floor. He couldn’t believe his ears; _because he didn’t have ears_ , but he was stunned none the less.

You had to be taking about someone else. There had to be another Sans out in the world. It couldn’t be him, right? There was no way in the Underground that he was the one you were gushing about to Toriel.

Based on the glance Toriel shot his way, he was discovered, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his hiding spot. His hand gripped the frame of the door, the hard bone coming very close to splintering the wood.

How much of a fool would he seem like if he raced in there and asked you on a date? He was too nervous…he should just wing it! But…he didn’t even have a plan. Sans groaned, pressing his forehead against the door in exhaustion. He couldn’t ask you on a date without any sort of plan.

“-I can see myself…loving him. Very quickly.”

 _‘How quick can quick be, babe?’_ Sans thought to himself _. ‘Can quickly be now? I’d like it to be now.’_

Steeling himself, Sans managed a weak knock against the wood. Your head snapped towards the opened front door, a huge blush on your face. You hoped that Sans hadn’t heard the conversation. You’d probably die of embarrassment if he’d overheard you and Toriel.  

“Oh, good morning, Sans!” Toriel chimed, letting go of your hand. When did your hands become so sweaty? “Would you like some pancakes?”

“Mornin’, Tori. I’d love some. Thanks.” Sans said, sitting down next to you. His elbow bumped into yours as he sat, and the touch made you blush more. Toriel slid the skeleton a plate loaded with syrup covered pancakes and a glass bottle of ketchup. Popping the cap off, Sans took a deep drink of the ketchup.

“Do you have work today?” Toriel asked. Sans nodded, cutting into his pancakes.

“It’s my last week at the stand in the park.” Sans muttered with a mouthful of pancake. Toriel positively beamed, clapping her hands in elation. You felt relieved, too. You couldn’t stand the thought of Sans at that horrible stand in that dangerous park.

“Are you keeping your two other jobs?” Toriel asked, re-filling up her coffee cup.

Sans nodded. “For now, both part time. The owner at the ice cream place on the pier offered me full time, with equal pay. If I take that full time, I’ll be able to quit the part time electronics job.”

You felt calm course through you. Sans looked so incredibly happy talking about quitting his jobs. He really was not happy at those places. “Great! Papyrus will be happy.”

Sans smiled at you. You always thought of other people. “He will, it’ll give him and I more time together.”

Frisk ran out of their bedroom, backpack bouncing on their back. They leapt into Sans’ lap and nuzzled into his shoulder. _‘Uncle Sans!’_

“Good mornin’, ya weird little noodle!” Sans laughed, squeezing Frisk tightly. Frisk giggled, clinging to Sans like a little monkey. “C’mon, let’s get you off to school.”

All three of you stood up from the table and took the elevator to the main floor. The doorman waved down at Frisk with a kind smile. “Have a good day at school, Frisk, be good!”

Frisk signed ‘ _Thanks_!’ towards the doorman. The bus was coming down the street just as Toriel opened the front door. A gust of ice cold wind blew into the lobby, making you shiver. Again, you hadn’t bothered with a coat, only a hoodie. A skeletal hand on your arm stopped you.

“Stay with me, it’s too cold for you out there. We don’t want to get _chilled to the bone_.” Sans said, reaching down to give Frisk a hug. You hugged Frisk as well before Toriel took their hand to walk them out to the bus. Sans and you stood in the doorway, watching Frisk climb onto the bus through the glass door.

“You said you don’t have work today?” Sans asked, gaze trained on the slushy snow outside. You hummed in agreement, shoving your hands into the pockets of your sweatpants.  

“Would you want to go get some food? With me. After my shift.” Sans’ question came out as strained. He felt so unsure of himself, but he hoped he came off as confident.

You froze, but on the inside you were screaming. Was this really happening? This was too good to be true. You calmed yourself; Sans was probably just asking to hangout as friends. “Sure, I’d like to hang out with you.”

Sans tugged at the collar of his tee-shirt with a grimace on his face. “Date.”

“Excuse me?” You asked, your mouth becoming completely dry. Sans swallowed nervously, his fingers tapping at the back of his neck.

“We wouldn’t be hanging out. I want…it’ll be a date. If that’s…okay with you.” Sans said.

It felt like you couldn’t breathe. This was happening! This was really happening; in the real world and not in your dreams. You bit your bottom lip, trying to hide the huge smile that fought to stretch across your face. Play it cool, don’t let him know of insanely happy you are.

“I’d love to!” You practically shouted.

So much for playing it cool.

Sans smiled at you, two big splotches of blue staining his cheekbones. He looked like a kid given free rein in a candy store. “Great! You won’t be sorry!”

The two of you rode the elevator back up to your apartment in giddy silence. Toriel went to go get ready to work at her craft stall, and Sans went to go shower for one of his final shifts at the hot dog stand.

Your heart was pounding in your chest, you could barely believe it. You couldn’t wait until Sans got off work. How should you dress? Were you getting too far ahead of yourself?

You threw yourself onto your bed, bouncing on the mattress. You screamed into your pillow, unable to contain your excitement. You should take a shower, cut your nails, or at least start picking an outfit. This must have been how Toriel felt before her date with Asgore.

You began ripping through your closet and drawers looking for an outfit. With half your body submerged into your closet, you did not notice the short skeleton watching from your door with a huge smirk on his face. Sans watched as you shook your head at random pieces of clothing; the few pieces which you approved of were thrown onto your bed for further consideration.

You must be excited, Sans thought with a huge grin. He was happy that this was going so well already. He left the apartment quietly, hoping to not disturb you. He stuffed his hands in his parka pockets as he walked towards the park.


	10. Dating Start!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You settled on a navy and grey striped sweater, black dress pants, a black belt, and black boots. You spent longer in the shower than usual, exfoliating and priming your body. With your hair dried and done, you finished brushing your locks with a steady hand. Every strand had to look perfect! Looking at yourself in the mirror, you smirked. You looked like a million bucks. With one final confident pose in the mirror to shake off your nerves, you exited the bathroom.

Papyrus, back from his training with Undyne, was sitting on the couch watching cartoons. He perked up at your appearance, clapping his hands together loudly. His skeletal hands crashing together sounded like two plates clanking against each other.

“You look positively wonderful, dearest human!” Papyrus swooned. “I see that you’ve put on special date clothes, very impressive.”

“You really think I look good?” You asked, tugging at the collar of your sweater. You were confident with your clothes, but it never hurt to have a second opinion.

“Hold on! The GREAT PAPYRUS has something to add!” Papyrus said, running into his room. “I have substantial knowledge about special date clothes!”

Papyrus returned with a navy blue hooded cape coat. You had no clue as to why he’d have this, but you weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Slipping the warm fabric over your shoulders, you smiled up at the taller skeleton.  

“Looks great! Thank you so much, Pap!” Papyrus glowed at the praise, his rib cage puffing out.

“Now, onto the next bit of dating business! When do you plan to make your date gift of artisan pasta?” Papyrus asked, looking to the clock. “Sans will be home soon! You have very limited time to prepare!”

…Artisan pasta?

“I…think Sans and I are going to go out to eat.” You laughed, wondering where Pap got his ideas about dating. Papyrus frowned, looking a little put out by the lack of dating pasta.

“Maybe for the next date, then. For Sans, THE DEAREST BROTHER OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS, deserves nothing less than the greatest of dating gifts!” Papyrus cheered, throwing his arms in the air. He began to race around the apartment, occasionally knocking into tables or hitting the wall.

You couldn’t help but agree. You felt your mind beginning to race. What if you said something stupid and embarrassed yourself? Sitting down on the couch, you rubbed your temples and let out a deep breath. You were not going to psyche yourself out over this. You were going to have a nice date with a good friend! Even if it killed you!

A few moments later, the front door opened to reveal Sans, who didn’t bother to take his coat off. His shift was mediocre, at best. At least no one had bothered him or tried to mug him this time. His jaw almost dropped to the floor when he caught sight of you sitting on the couch. You looked great, after all. “A-are you ready to go?”

“Heck yeah!” You squeaked, standing and rocking excitedly on the balls of your feet.

“Have a good time!” Papyrus called out as the two of you left the apartment.

You wrapped your arm around Sans’ trying to push down the blush that erupted across your face. Sans held the main door open for you and the two of you took off down the dark, snowy streets. A few streets over, there was a small restaurant tucked between a laundry mat and a bakery.

“You’re a fan of small hidden places, aren’t you?” You asked, recalling the hidden comedy club.

“What can I say?” Sans shrugged, holding the door open for you again. “I’m known as a skele- _ton_ of mystery.”

“Very suave of you.” You giggled, walking up to the hostess. She smiled and asked if the two of you had a reservation.

Sans nodded. “Under the name Snowdin.”

The hostess led you to a small table that was tucked away from the rest of the restaurant. The entire place itself only had six or so tables, so this restaurant was a sweet little hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city around you.

“I thought Snowdin was where you and Pap lived in the Underground?” You questioned, sitting down at the table across from Sans. Shrugging off his coat, Sans hummed.

“When we first came Aboveground, there was a lot of paperwork. Citizenship papers, working papers, all that garbage. Everything on my and Papyrus’ papers said ‘Sans from Snowdin’. A lot of monsters don’t have last names. Some monsters made up a surname, but Pap and I took Snowdin.” Sans said, shrugging his shoulders. “We never really cared much.” 

Menus were placed in front of you, and a moment of comfortable silence came as the two of you read over the options. You quickly decided and closed your menu, to see Sans looking out the window with a small smile on his face.

“Dying to get outta here already?” You smirked, your stomach tumbling at the cute smile and laugh that you received. Sans shook his head, turning to look at you with a shy smile.

“I’m just happy that you’re here.” Sans said quietly, nervously tapping his fingertips against the table. You matched the tapping playfully, smirking at the skeleton.

“I’m happy you’re here, too.”

The waitress came back over and the two of you ordered. Unsure of where to begin a conversation, you tilted your head to the side.

“How’re you and Pap liking the apartment? Decent?” You asked, taking the straw wrapper you were given and beginning to nervously twist and rip the paper. 

“Decent doesn’t even begin to describe it.” Sans laughed. “It’s great to be so close to Frisk and Tori, too.”

“I’m sure Frisk is happy to be so close to _Uncle Sans_.” You teased, a light blue flush appearing on the skeleton’s cheekbones. “It’s sweet how much you love each other.”

Sans chuckled, a look of fondness crossing his face, but something else did too. A quick burst of something dark, something hateful, flashed across Sans’ face. If you blinked, you would have missed it. Sans must have noticed your confused, and slightly concerned, look.

“It’s hard to love others sometimes.” Sans revealed, scratching his jaw bone. “I’ve only had to love my brother for so long and letting others in takes time. And depends on their LV.”

“LV?” You asked, confused. Sans jolted, as if he was shocked. He was stunned with himself, he couldn’t believe he had let that slip out. As a human, you would have no concept of Level of Violence.  

Sans couldn’t tell you about what had happened. You’d think he was insane, right? Would you really believe that Frisk, sweet, innocent Frisk, at one time had some kind of demon inside them that made them turn into a homicidal lunatic? Sans would sometimes believe he saw that demon inside Frisk, who was called Chara, even to this day. Whenever Frisk would hold a knife, or look at someone with anger, Sans would shudder. Something dark inside him would come out…  

He doesn’t hold Chara against Frisk. How could he? Once Sans revealed to Frisk that he knew about resets, Frisk confided in him about Chara. The voice in their head that hissed horrible and sometimes was more powerful during certain resets. Frisk remembered the genocide runs, but only in bits and pieces; and Sans was thankful for that.

They were also thankful that Chara had gone silent and left Frisk’s body once the barrier was broken for the final time.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Sans quickly changed the subject. “Just some Underground nonsense that doesn’t matter anymore. I’m reminiscing.”

There was no way you’d believe in resets. Time travel; if he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t believe it. You’d walk out of this restaurant laughing at him. Sans didn’t want that; he wanted you walking out of here with him, holding onto his arm as you always do, your sides pressed together…

“Well stop reminiscing and come back to now.” You laughed, reaching across the table to pat his hand. “Am I not entertaining you enough, bone boy?”

“You’re the most entertaining human I know.” Sans said. You laughed, going back to nervously ripping the straw wrapper to bits. This date was going well, right? You were feeling a little confident.  

“Smooth, real smooth.”

Dinner went extremely well, with the two of you laughing almost constantly. You talked about hobbies, a little bit about your pasts, and your favorite places around the city. You found out that Sans often took Frisk to the planetarium and had an affinity for anything Sci-Fi. You were under his charm, and you weren’t minding a single moment of it. You took time to notice little things about Sans in the romantic lighting. How his eye sockets crunched together when he laughed, or how he let out this raspy hollow wheeze when he laughed too hard.

“Can I get the two of you anything else?” The waitress asked when dinner came to an end.

“Coffee or head home?” Sans asked you.

“How about we get coffee at home?” You asked. It was getting very dark, the snow was starting to pile up, and all you wanted was to get home and watch some shitty movie with Sans.

After paying, Sans helped you with your coat and offered you his elbow. You quickly snatched it up, now comfortable with the display of affection. You could feel his warmth radiating through his coat, and when you walked your sides bumped and pressed together.

The walk home was quick, the two of you practically jogged due to the increasing storm. The wind was whipping around you, sending snow spiraling in small cyclones. Just as you were about to cross a street, a shout stopped the both of you. A shop owner stopped the two of you with their shout, and you steeled yourself, expecting the worst.

“Where are the two of you going?” The shop owner called, a shovel gripped in their gloved hands and a frown on their face. You were about to bite out something, probably along the lines of _‘fuck off’_ , but an arm snaking around your waist stopped you.

“We’re heading home.” Sans said simply, his arm wound tight around your waist. His hand squeezed your side.

Here it comes. The damned racist comments….

“Good!” The shop keeper said.

What…?

“The snow is coming down too hard for the two of you to be out! We’re supposed to get over two feet! Please hurry home safe!” The shop keep said, a friendly smile on their face. You let out a shocked laugh.

“W-will do!” You said, wrapping your arm around Sans’ back. “Hope you have a good night!”

“You, too! You’re a lovely couple!”

Too shocked to move, Sans had to physically turn you around. He burrowed his face into your neck as you walked, trying to muffle his laughter into your collar. You were completely and utterly dumfounded. People willingly being kind to monsters? And not only that; but being kind to two men who were clearly on a date. It was mind boggling.

“You need to stop being on the defensive so often, babe.” Sans chuckled. “It’s extremely kind of you to be so protective, but you can’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder.”

You nodded, slightly out of breath. That interaction brought back a little bit of your faith in humanity. Not everyone was a monster-hating, homophobic bigot. There were people out there fighting for the good in the world, not just you.

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.” Was all you were able to mutter. Sans snorted, tightening his arm around your waist. A huge gust of wind blew past you, and the smaller skeleton tucked you further into his side to cover you from the cold.

“You’re fine. You were just being protective. It took me a while to not expect the worst from all humans. I understand.” Sans smiled, leaning forward and pressing his face against your temple. “Let’s get home.”

Was that a kiss? A nuzzle? Your heart was pounding so hard. “W-Did you just…was that a…?” You stuttered, unsure of what to say. Sans chuckled, pressing his teeth to your temple once more. His bones were smooth against your skin, slightly warm from the magic that ran through him.

“That?” Sans teased, feeling confident. “It’s nothing.”

“F-felt like a kiss.” You said, a smile growing on your face. It wasn’t a kiss on the lips, but it was something sweet and genuine.

“Hmm…a kiss, you say? And you said it felt like this?” Sans asked, pressing his wide grin to your cheek and nuzzling against you. Laughing at the sensation, you burrowed yourself further into Sans’ side.

When your apartment came into view, Sans let you go long enough to hold open the door for you. Walking past him, you pressed a quick kiss to Sans’ cheek. His cheekbones tinged blue, and he stared off into the sky in awe.

He couldn’t believe it. You kissed him. Sure, he kissed you, but this was different. This was you, putting your soft and beautifully shaped lips against his cheekbone. You laughed, elated that you had that kind of effect on him.

Kicking the snow off your shoes, you called for the elevator and held it open while Sans finally came back to the present. Jogging up to the elevator, Sans smiled at you in embarrassment. The short ride up to your floor was filled with laughter.

Sans arm came around your hips when the elevator door opened on your floor. Surprised, since he only ever did that when the two of you were outside, you jolted a little. Snickering, Sans opened your front door for the two of you and whisked you inside.

“Coffee, movie, and blankets?” Sans asked, unzipping his coat and beginning to strip off his layers. Kicking off your boots, you began to shed off the hooded cape that Papyrus had given you.

“Make mine a tea and you’ve got yourself a deal.” You said, not wanting to get too caffeinated before bed. Sans went into the kitchen, opening up cabinets and pulling down some mugs.

“How about hot chocolate?” Sans called from the kitchen.

“If you make me hot chocolate, I’ll give you a million dollars!” You joked, unwrapping the scarf from your neck. Smiling at the sound of Sans’ soft chuckles, you went into your bedroom and put on some sweatpants and a comfortable top.

When you came back into the living room, it had transformed into a comforting nest. The lights were off, the television’s blue light being the only brightness. The couch set right in front of the television was covered in blankets and littered with pillows. On the coffee table in front of the couch were two mugs, a bowl of candy, and a bag of chips.

“This looks amazing!” You sighed, diving into the couch. Sans, now wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a blue zip up hoodie, laughed at you. He went back into his room and returned with a soft navy hoodie in his hands. Gesturing for you to put your arms up, Sans slid the comfy material over your head. It swarmed you, was warm, and smelled like Sans. It was perfect, and the sweet gesture made you blush.

While you were getting changed and he was waiting for the coffee to brew, Sans searched the internet on his cellphone about the best ways to end a date. Some sites were more disgusting and perverted, but he did find some good ideas. A kiss, a tight hug, and giving her your coat or a gift. It was a little too late for him to give you his coat, but giving you one of his spare hoodies would be a good idea! You seemed happy enough snuggling into the fabric.

Sans settled on the couch next to you, burrowing into the blankets. His knee knocked against your thigh, and he settled himself next to you so that you were comfortably pressed together. The TV was playing some B-rated horror movie, complete with crappy plot and even crappier effects.

“It’s hard to find something that’s worse than any of Mettaton’s movies.” Sans chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. You agreed, humming contently around the mug of hot chocolate that Sans had made for you.

The two of you stayed up for a few more hours, talking quietly and laughing at each other. You felt your eyes getting heavy towards the end of the second movie. You had become so relaxed that you rested your head against Sans’ shoulder. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you to rest more fully against his side. His bones pressed against you, but he felt strong and firm.

You fell asleep before the credits rolled.

Sans debated whether or not to move you from your nest. He didn’t want you to sleep uncomfortably, even though you looked extremely content as of now. Shoving his arms underneath you, one behind your knees and the other behind your shoulders, Sans pulled you to his chest.

He carried you to your bed, managing to not wake you up. Sans tucked you into your blankets and made sure that you weren’t cold. Brushing his fingers against your cheeks, Sans couldn’t hold back a soft smile.

“Sans…” You murmured, somewhat conscious. You had felt the caress and lent into the skeleton’s hand.           

“Yeah, babe?” Sans whispered, afraid speaking any louder would rouse you from your sleepy haze.

“Thank you…for tonight.” Your voice was soft as you floated in and out of sleep. Sans felt a spark of warmth bloom in his chest. You were so sweet.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for coming with me.” Sans whispered, leaning over the bed to press his toothy grin against your forehead. “Did you have a good time?”

“Better than I imagined.” You sighed sleepily. Sans chuckled, he’d have to remember to talk to you every night when you were this sleepy. You were just adorable. Like those internet videos of the little kids after the dentist.

“So I guess this means you wouldn’t mind dating me again?” Sans gauged your honest reactions. A huge grin split your face, honest and true.

“I’d love to.”

Sans smiled, pressing another pseudo-kiss to your warm forehead. “Goodnight, babe.”

You hummed, sleepily smiling at Sans once more before you snuggled into your pillow and went back off to dream land. Running his finger across your cheek once more, Sans left your room to make his usual ritual of locking the front door and all the windows.

Sans fell asleep that night, content with the world.


	11. Snow Days and Souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You woke up the next morning, feeling more comfortable than you had in your entire life. You felt like you were encased in warmth and the scent of old books, tomatoes, and a musk that instantly made you take a deep breath and relax.

Oh, that’s right, Sans gave you one of his hoodies.

Smiling dopily, you reached for your phone to see what time it was. You had to be at work by nine. Pressing the button, your screen lit up to reveal a message from your manager. The predicted two feet of snow had fallen while you slept, and all schools and businesses were closed. It looked like you were about to have a long weekend.

“SNOW! SANS, LOOK! SNOW!”

From your open door, you caught a flash of red and white running past.

“We’ve seen snow before, Pap.” Sans, his voice coming from the bathroom, called out to his brother. Papyrus didn’t seem deterred by Sans and was at your door before you could blink.

“Dearest human! Will you come outside with Frisk and I?” Papyrus asked, bouncing up and down. You nodded sleepily, pushing yourself out of bed. Papyrus cheered, running out of the apartment to go get Frisk.

You pulled on a pair of snow pants, the thickest pair of socks you owned, and a ski jacket. While you were jamming on your gloves and hat, Sans came out of the bathroom with a wet towel in his hand.

“Going out with Pap and the boss?” He asked, tossing the wet towel somewhere into his room.

“Yeah.” You said, trying to zip up your coat with your gloved fingers. “There’s so much snow that all schools and businesses are closed down. So no work for me and no school for Frisk. Do you have off?”

Sans nodded. “No one really wants ice cream during a snow day.”

“Great! Are you coming outside, too?” You asked. Sans shook his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

“I’m gonna catch up on some sleep. I’ve worked myself _to the bone_.” Sans joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You deserve it! Have a good rest!” You chuckled, rushing out the door. Sans laughed at your excitement. He was happy that he was interested in someone who liked to spend time with his brother and his Frisk.

Frisk and Papyrus, decked out in all their winter wrappings, were waiting for you in the hallway. The three of you rode the elevator down to the main floor, where the doorman greeted you with a tired wave.

Outside, the sidewalks were filled with people playing in the snow. Frisk jumped into one of the snow piles, practically disappearing into the white mound. Papyrus laughed, reaching in and plucking Frisk free.

“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, declare a grand snowman creating competition!” Papyrus said, tossing Frisk gently back into the snow pile. Frisk dove happily into the snow, quickly beginning to roll together a ball of snow.

Papyrus began smashing snow together violently, making lopsided looking balls of snow. Slowly, you began to roll a small ball of snow together and slowly add more until it grew into a decently sized ball. That would be a good base.

Over the next hour, the three of you created some beautiful snow people. Papyrus had gone above and beyond the call of snowmen, and had made his snowperson out of as much snow as he could. Frisk had been careful when crafting theirs, and it showed in the details!

You were now sitting in a snow bank, laughing at Papyrus and Frisk who were making snow angels when the sound of crunching snow came from behind you.  Asgore, decked out in warm clothes, was coming down the partially shoveled sidewalk with two cardboard drink carriers in his hands.

“Hey, happy snow day, Asgore!” You greeted the king, who playfully bowed his head.

“Take one, small human, please. Tori says that you are fond of hot chocolate.” Asgore said, offering you one of the Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate that he was carrying. Eagerly, you snagged one and thanked the king, who shyly smiled. The drink was piping hot, creamy, and just what you wanted.  

“Are you here to swoon, I mean…see Toriel?” You said, taking great joy in watching the king of all monsters sputter and stutter.

“Y-yes.” Asgore said, nervously glancing up towards the apartment building, eyeing the window that was Toriel’s. It was easy to tell that the poor man was nervous, almost sickly so. Empathy swelled within you.

“You know, Tori had a great time on the date with you. I bet she’s up there,” You said, gesturing up to the window with a nod. “and I bet she’s waiting for you.”  

A huge smile split across Asgore’s face. “Thank you, dear human. Your words sooth an old monster’s heart.” 

Walking away from you, Asgore offered Frisk and Papyrus their own cups of hot chocolate. He then raced into the apartment building, a fresh new spring in his step. Laughing, you hunkered back down in your snow bank, content with watching Papyrus and Frisk fool around and drink your hot chocolate.

After about an hour of sitting, your ass was beginning to grow numb from the cold. Stretching slowly, you began to waddle towards the main glass door. Papyrus and Frisk were now having a snowball fight, some of which you had to dodge before finding sanctuary in the apartment building.

Sopping wet, you started peeling off your sodden gloves as soon as you got into the elevator. Your skin was starting to prune and was bright red from the cold. Exiting the elevator, you unwound your scarf from your neck.

As usual, both your front door and Toriel’s front door were wide open. From Toriel’s apartment, you could hear her soft giggling and Asgore’s deep-chested rumbles. It was nice to know that the two were getting along. You hoped that they went on another date together.   

Your boots were so wet from the snow that they began to make a nasty squelching noise with every step you took, making you cringe. Once in your living room, you hung up your soaked coat on the rack above the heater. The same goes with your hat, scarf, socks, and gloves. The rest of your clothes were soaked and would have to go in the wash. 

“Have a good time?” Sans, who was curled up on the couch under a mountain of blankets, asked.

“It’s awesome outside. Paps and Frisk are still out, but I just couldn’t take the cold anymore.” You said, going into the kitchen to throw out your empty hot chocolate cup. “I’m gonna go put on some dry clothes.”

Frowning, Sans looked closer at you. Your skin color had changed due to the cold, your fingers and toes were wrinkly, and Sans could practically feel the cold radiating off of you. It was rather unsettling for him.

“You better go take a hot shower. That’s what Frisk always does after a good play in the snow.” Sans said, to which you raised a brow at.

“I don’t think I need that.” You shrugged him off, touching your chilled cheeks.

Snorting, Sans stood up and started pushing you towards the bathroom. “You humans get sick so easily. Get in the shower and stop being such a baby bones about it. I’ll get you some clothes.”

The smaller skeleton pushed you towards the bathroom, the cold skin of your back prickling even more at the touch. His hands were so warm; you could feel his bones through your shirt and the magic that coursed through them. You instantly felt warmer.  

“T-thanks.” You said, stepping into the bathroom. On habit, you swung the door shut, but it did not close fully or lock. You showered quickly, the hot water feeling amazing on your skin. When you stepped out of the shower, there was a pile of clothes on the counter top by the sink.

You hadn’t even heard Sans come into the bathroom. You were instantly thankful that you had chosen a colored shower curtain instead of the clear one. The pile was made up of comfortable lounge clothes, none of which were your own, and included a pair of bone-themed boxers.

Oh…my…god…he'd given you a pair of his boxers.

The sweatpants were black, baggy, and had a single white racing stripe down each of the legs. There was a large white tank top shirt, a pair of thick socks, and another of Sans’ baggy blue hoodies.

How many hoodies did he have anyways?

Pulling on the clothes, you took your time to smell them. Old text book pages, tomatoes, and musk. It was warm, familiar, and extremely calming. The scent was like a warm blanket to your soul.

“Thanks for the clothes.” You said, feeling warm and exhausted as you shuffled back into the living room. Nothing sounded better than curling up on the couch with Sans like you had done after your date.

Sans, still on the couch, held one end of the blanket up and held an arm out as an invitation for you to nestle into his side. “No problem, babe. C’mon over here.”

You dove into the sea of blankets, snuggling up against Sans’ side. You were surrounded with warmth and the smell of Sans. Slowly, Sans raised his arm up to wrap around you. The smooth bone of his fingers carded through your hair, the gentle scrape lulling your eyes to close. You leaned down, your cheek pressing against Sans’ rib cage. With a gentle push, Sans had you down on the couch with your head resting in his lap.

For being a skeleton, Sans sure was comfortable. You could feel the bones of his legs, but they weren’t painful. Extremely solid, yes, but not painful for you to lay on. The bones carding through your still wet hair felt amazing as well.

“So, what did I miss outside?” Sans asked, glancing down at you. You told him about the snow people, snow angels, and snowball fights. He laughed at the appropriate times, amused by your shenanigans. You loved the way his eyes lit up with happiness when you told him that Papyrus was having a good time. He was such a good brother.

“Good. My bro’s so cool, right?” Sans asked, his chest puffing out with pride.

“Damn straight.” You said, stretching out more on the couch. As you lowed your arms from your stretch, you noticed Sans staring at your chest and shoulders.  _Blatant staring_. You’d have people oogle you before, and it always ticked you off. It was incredibly rude and it made you feel like your skin was crawling. You weren’t an object to be stared at.   

“Hey.” You said, bringing up one to cover yourself with the blanket. “Stop.”

Sans jolted, a huge blue blush across his skull. “I-uh, I didn’t mean t-to stare! It’s just-”

You frowned up at Sans as he tried to organize his thoughts. You got ready for the _‘I’m a guy, I can’t help but stare at you’_ excuse that some of your friends and coworkers used whenever you called them out on their staring. They seemed to forget that you were a man too, and yet you never openly eye-fucked anyone. Maybe you had the self control that so many males lacked. You considered sitting up and scooting away from Sans, but a hand on your shoulder made you stay in place.

“E-everyone has a soul.” Sans started, surprising you. “And with monsters and humans, they can materialize out of the middle of your chest. I…I was wondering what yours looked like.”

 _Oh_.

“Oh. I thought you were…ahh…looking at me.” You mumbled awkwardly. Sans chuckled, a deep ringing baritone that warmed you.

“I am nothing if not a gentleman. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” Sans said, scratching the back of his skull awkwardly. He internally berated himself. He felt so clueless, like every other thing he said or did for you was wrong and made you irritated with him.

Sitting up, you put your hands on his shoulders “It’s okay. You didn’t mean anything by it. Miscommunications happen.”

Sans smiled. You were so understanding. He let himself relax, relieved that he was still in your good graces. After all, how was he supposed to take you on a second date if you hated him?

“So, let’s see it.” You said, sitting up straight.

Sans mind blanked. “See…?”

“My soul. You said it can manifest, right? I’ve never seen it, so do whatever you do, bone boy.” You said, excited to see what was essentially your life force. Leaders of different religions always spoke about the soul, but always said that it was something that would never be physically seen. Sans was about to show you something mysterious and amazing.

Sans hands slowly came towards your chest, the tips of his fingers pressing against your sternum, right between your pectorals. Slowly, as if opening a drawer, Sans pulled his hands away from your chest. You felt a slight tug, nothing painful, but the tug you’d feel when you’d remove a piece of jewelry from a piercing.

There was a soft green glow, and Sans gasped.

Floating in his hands, was a cartoonish looking heart. The heart, which looked to be made of crystal, was a deep kelly green, swirling with darker shades of green. It glowed a bright green with a golden outline. It was breathtaking. Sans held and gazed at your soul as if it was a piece of art. He held it as if it would shatter at any moment, his fingers grazing it gingerly. His eyes were wide, the white pin pricks almost non-existent.

“Look at your HP.” Sans whispered in awe, bringing your soul closer to his face. You were so enthralled that you didn’t notice the small text that was scrawled across the bottom of your soul.

_‘HP 2000’._

“Is…that…good?” You asked, unsure.

“Asgore, the king himself has an HP of 3500.” Sans said, cradling your soul to his chest. His own chest began to glow. “Frisk is powerful, too. Human souls are extremely powerful.”

An intense blue shine almost made you shade your eyes. From within his rib cage, San’s soul appeared. It was the same heart shape as yours, but it burned a beautiful bright blue. The edges burned the brightest white that you’d ever seen.

 _‘HP 1’_.

Your souls were so close together, that their colored light began to shine with each other. The combined blue and green lights caused the room to be bathed in the most beautiful shade of teal you had ever seen.

“It’s beautiful.” Sans whispered, pulling his gaze away from your soul to look up at you. With a nod of his head, you reached out to take a hold of his floating soul. It rested comfortably in the cradle of your hands. It felt hot, like a window pane in direct sunlight. It made that warmth course through you.

“Blue has always been one of my favorite colors.” You murmured, tracing down the center of his soul with your fingers. Sans smiled, shrugging his shoulders, but you noticed the pleased smile that crossed his face.

The two of you were quiet for a few moments, basking in the light of your combined souls.

“Would you like to go out with me again?”

Glancing up, you made eye contact with a nervous looking Sans. He appeared to be sweating, his hands nervously gripping onto your soul. You smiled, feeling heat beginning to rise up to your face.

“Y-yeah. I’d like that.” You bit your lip, happily rocking as you sat. Sans let out a relieved exhale, and you wondered where he was holding his breath. He didn’t have lungs after all.  

“Good…good.” Sans said, sounding exhausted. “How does tomorrow sound? We can get breakfast and then just…walk around the city. See what there is to see.”

Smiling, you unconsciously held Sans’ soul closer to your chest. “That sounds awesome.”

A dopey look crossed Sans’ face. “Awesome.”

Chuckling, you offered Sans back his soul with a flourish. The heart slowly sank back into his chest. Slowly, almost reverently, Sans brought your soul back to your chest. He gently led the glowing green heart back into your body, his hand pressing flat against your chest once it had returned.

You smiled up at Sans and that’s when you decided that your new favorite color was teal made from kelly green and bright blue.


	12. Rugs and Second Date Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

After a few hours shared on the couch, Sans began worrying about Papyrus’ whereabouts. You offered to check in across the hall for him, where he was probably still playing with Frisk. Your assumption was correct. Poking your head into Toriel’s apartment, you spied Paps and Frisk sitting in front of the TV, watching a Pixar movie.

“Oh, _______, there you are!” Toriel called, running out of her bedroom holding a tube wrapped in brown paper in her arms. The glorious goat monster began to bounce happily before you.

“Hey, Tori!” You said, eyes widening in shock when Toriel offered you what she was holding in her arms. “W-woah! Is this for me?”

Toriel nodded, beginning to nervously wring her hands together. “Yes! I’ve been spending the last few days on this. It’s just a little thank you mixed with a little welcome to the family.”

Awed, you unfolded the wrapped tube to reveal a beautiful dark rug. Navy blue with lighter blue, kelly green, and teal vine-like knots were woven delicately together. The best thing about the beautiful rug was the border, which were little white bones. It was positively gorgeous!

“T-Toriel…this is beautiful. I love it!” You squealed, throwing your arms around Toriel’s shoulders. The two of you hugged tightly, rocking back and forth.

“I’m glad you like it!” Toriel beamed, flushing. You ran your fingers through the fibers, marveling at how soft they were.

“Thank you so much, Tori. I’m sure the boys will love it, too!” You said, still in awe of the beautiful craftsmanship. Toriel blushed again, waving you off.

“I’d love to stay and ask you how your date with Sans went-”

“H-how did you know I had a date?!” You asked, nervously twiddling your thumbs. Toriel practically cackled, a large grin on her face.

“Don’t worry about that!” She winked. “I’ll be asking you soon, but  _uhh_..!” Toriel glanced back towards her bedroom. It didn’t take long for you to notice that Asgore was nowhere to be seen in the apartment, so he must be in her room.

“Sans was wondering about Papyrus, but I see he’s doing just fine. I happened to see Asgore earlier today…I wonder where he was whisked off too.” You said, playfully pretending to know nothing.  It was worth playing dumb to see the sheepish look on Toriel’s face.

Heading back over to your apartment, you decided to put the rug right in the living room, so that it was one of the first things you saw when you opened the front door. You unrolled the rug and laid it out against the cold wooden floor. It was perfect for winter!

“What’cha got there?” Sans asked, turning to face you from his seat on the couch. “Paps doing alright?”

“He’s watching a movie with Frisk. And this is a rug that Tori made! It’s freaking beautiful!” You said, sitting down onto the rug. It was so soft, it was more like a cushion than anything else. Sans shuffled over, taking a seat next to you on the rug.

He ran his phalanges through the material, stopping only to trace the outline of one of the tiny bones that lined the border of the rug. You loved the sweet smile that crossed his face.

“I like the bones.” Sans muttered, patting the bone border.

“Tori made an amazing guess of the colors.” You said, trailing your fingers over the entwining vines of green and blue, the same colors as both of your souls. Sans chuckled, reaching his hand out and grabbing your hand. He ran his fingers over your palm, taking in the soft and calloused surfaces. 

“Tori can see souls. It’s a special gift of hers.” Sans said, his hands moving up your arms and pushing up the sleeves of the hoodie. He was enthralled with the feeling of your arm, dead set on feeling every inch of skin his hands could get on. He could feel the twitch of muscle and your pulse under your skin; so different than his humming magic.

Your confused silence indicated Sans needed to explain. “Tori can actually see your soul in your body. That’s why she’s such a good judge of character.”  

You reached out, your fingers smoothing over Sans’ ulna. He shivered as your touch traveled across to his radius and then up to his humerus. The bone was smooth like polished marble in some places, and like rough cement in others. There were imperfections and knicks in the bone, but they still felt heavenly under your fingers.

“I…I like how our souls look together.” Sans said quietly, almost too quiet for you to hear. “I like…us together. It…you make me feel…like I’m special.”

Scooting closer to the shy skeleton, you placed you hand on his cheekbone. “You are special.”

Sans smiled, but humbly tried to hide it. Leaning forward, you pressed a long kiss to the bone between his eye sockets. He hummed, leaning into your kiss happily. He whined quietly when you pulled back from the kiss.

“Thanks, babe.”

* * *

 

The dream you had that night was wonderful. You were in an open field, filled with wild flowers, kittens, and puppies. You felt so relaxed, so at ease, that as you lay in the grass, you couldn’t imagine that this was real life.

 _“________._..” Someone called your name, sounding far away.

No, you didn’t want to wake up! The cutest puppy just came up to you with a basket of cookies in its mouth. This was paradise. The voice called you again and you grunted, hoping that they would leave you alone.

After the voice called for you three more times, a gentle touch on your cheek surprised you. The touch was gentle, smooth and warm as it trailed from your jaw up into your hairline. The fingers wove themselves into your hair and lightly scratched at your scalp.

You lied before; this was heaven!

The voice called to you again, soft and comforting. Oh…you knew that voice! It was Sans! You supposed you could wake up from your dream, just for Sans.

“Hey, babe.” Sans whispered to you as you slowly opened your eyes. “Good morning.”

“Morning, bone boy.” You whispered back, still trying to shake off your sleep. “We’ve got a hot date today.”   

“That we do. Actually, considering it’s below zero outside, we’re about to have a _cold_ date.” He snickered, bumping his forehead against yours. He was kneeling beside your bed, arms and chin resting against the mattress, his eye sockets gazing at you softly.

“Whatever, you nerd.” You giggled, gently head butting him back. You were a little embarrassed that he was seeing you right now. You probably had morning breath and you had no clue how you looked right now; probably that you survived a tornado.

Sans smiled, brushing away a stray lock of hair. “I came as a wake up call. Get dressed, comfy and warm. I’ll be waiting!”

With that, Sans left your bedroom, practically trotting into the living room.  

Checking your phone, you found that it was only eight in the morning. You only ever woke up this early for work! But then again, you would sacrifice your precious sleep to spend some time with your skeleton.

You dressed warm and comfortable and met Sans out in the kitchen. He was rooting through the fridge, placing a wrapped plate with a post-it note on it onto the shelf. It looked like a plate of waffles and noodles and the post-it note said ‘ _Pappers’_ on it.

“Leaving breakfast for Pap, and then we’ll be off.” Sans said, noticing your appearance. 

“Pappers?” You asked, shoving your feet into your winter boots.

Chuckling, Sans scratched at the back of his skull. “It’s what I called Pap when I was little. H-He called me Sansy.”

That…was the cutest thing you’ve ever heard.

When you told Sans that, his cheeks blushed cerulean. He brushed it off, bringing up that you both had a date to start. In a hurry, he almost put his hoodie on inside-out. Giggling, you helped him situate himself, and much like he had helped you the day before, you zipped up his coat.

The two of you left the apartment and walked down the street. As soon as your boot hit the asphalt, Sans arm wrapped tightly around your waist. You wrapped your arm around his shoulders and squeezed. Looking towards your date, his smile was so wide it looked like it was about to split his skull in half. He looked over the moon, and you yourself felt the same. Just walking down the street with him made you deliriously happy.


	13. Second Date Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Sans walked you into a diner, decked out with tacky plastic booths and menus with pictures of the dishes that they served. When the server came over, Sans ordered an omelet with ketchup and you ordered a plate of French toast.

Cutting into your breakfast, you couldn’t hold back your giggles as Sans squirted ketchup all over his already ketchup laden omelet. The squeeze ketchup bottle was quickly emptied by your skeleton, and it caused the container to make a loud farting sound.

And of course, you began laughing hysterically.

“You didn’t laugh when you sat on the whoopee cushion that one morning.” Sans commented, smirking at you.  You remembered that morning! You had been off to work and stopped to sit with Sans, Frisk, and Tori as they waited for the school bus.

“I _knew_ that was you, you cute little jerk!” You laughed, loving the blue blush that reappeared on Sans’ face. He shrugged bashfully, trying to hide away in the fur of his coat hood. You lent over the table and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.  

“What can I say, whoopee cushions are just my _farting_ in life.” Sans said, glancing at your hand that rested on the table. Could he? Would it be too forward, too awkward? Throwing caution to the wind, Sans slid his hand forward on the table top. His hand slid over yours, squeezing the soft flesh.

You forced yourself to hold back your surprised jolt. You couldn’t believe Sans just did that! He’s putting the moves on you! You had to play it cool, even though all you wanted to do was scream and lunge across the table to hug the cute little skeleton.

“Is…this okay?” Sans asked softly, focusing on pushing the food around on his plate with his free hand.

You snorted, causing Sans to tilt his head up at you. “No, bone boy. I’m totally fine with kissing, but hand holding is crossing the line.”

Sans’ nervous grimace transformed into a relaxed grin. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about PDAs…especially with _uhh_ …with me. _Ya know_. A _skeleton_ in public with a guy like you…”

You frowned. You didn’t like what he was insinuating. Why wouldn’t you want to show affection to him in public? Sure, some anti-monster assholes might say something, but it would never stop you from wanting to be around Sans. The idea that he was worried about you being seen with him made your stomach churn.

Silently, you let go of his hand and slid out of your booth. Sans frowned, beginning to jitter nervously. He went and done it; he’d pointed out that he was a monster and you shouldn’t be with him. Now that you’ve noticed that you’re way out of his league, you were going to walk out that door-

 _Oh_.

You slid into the seat beside him, so close that your shoulders pressed together. Sans had begun to sweat, the white pin pricks of his eyes focusing on his plate.

“Sans.”

He was too nervous to look up, but he tilted his head in your direction to show that he was listening.

“Please believe me when I say this. There is **_no one_** in this city that I’d rather be seen with than you.” You said, leaning closer and pressing a long kiss to his cheekbone. The bone underneath your lips grows warmer, and you could feel Sans grin widen.

“Same goes for me, babe.” Sans said, throwing his arm over your shoulder. You felt great; filled with good food and cuddled next to the cutest skeleton in the city. You felt so lucky, almost impossibly so.

“Let’s scram.” Sans said, gently nudging you out of the booth. When you put back on your coat, Sans zipped it up for you with a soft smile. It was a little childish, but the little show of affection made your heart swell up. You supposed you could allow him to continue to zip your coats up.   

Back out onto the street, Sans once again wrapped his arm around your waist. You noticed one or two strangers shoot you nasty looks, but your venomous glare quickly made them look away.

That’s right; no one messes with your bone boy.  

You stopped at a cart, where there was hot drinks and food being made and sold. You ordered a cup of hot apple cider and Sans ordered tomato soup. With your drinks in hand, Sans led you over to a small park on the same street as the food cart. In the middle of the park was an ice rink surrounded by benches.

The two of you sat down with your arm wrapped around his shoulder and his around your waist. You watched the ice skaters, mostly children, in comfortable silence. It was nice, sitting and watching small kids enjoying their time on the ice. Some were better skaters than others, and there were a few times where you and Sans shared a few ‘ _ohhhh_ ’ moments whenever a kid fell to the ice pretty hard.

“Want another?” Sans asked when you had taken your last sip of apple cider. Nodding, you went to go walk back over to the stand. Sans beat you to the punch, practically jogging over to the food cart for you. Feeling bashful, you sat back down on the bench and continued to watch the skaters. He was sweet.

“Excuse me?”

Looking up, you saw a man about your age. He had a back pack slung over his shoulder and a map in his shaking hands. He looked very nervous.

“C-can you tell me where the University is? I j-just got off the train.” He asked nervously, showing you his University student ID. You took pity on the poor guy, he looked so nervous. You snagged the map out of his hands and asked if he had a pen. He handed you one from his backpack.   

“You’re only a few blocks away. Just go two more blocks up, then take a left and walk three more blocks. You should be there.” You said politely. He began to thank you, a relieved smile on his sweaty face. He raced away towards the University, probably dying to get into his dorm room and relax.

Sans, with a small frown marring his features, sat back down and gently handed you a hot new cup of cider. “Was he bothering you?”

“No, poor thing was lost and new to the city. He was only asking for directions.” You said, nuzzling back into Sans’ side. He hummed, wrapping his arm back around you.

“Poor thing.” Sans mocked, earning a playful smack on the femur from you.

“Don’t tell me you were jealous of some random person.” You snickered, amused by the thought of someone as cool as Sans being jealous of that incredibly shy student boy. Sans was the whole package, and that school boy seemed to be nothing but an empty envelope.

Sans blushed blue, gaze trained on the ice. “I was only worried about you being bothered by some jerk.”

Smiling, you pressed a loving kiss to the crown of his skull. He shuddered and melted against your side.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” You laughed, seeing the dopey smile on Sans’ face. “I’m a one skeleton kind of guy.”

The two of you sat at that bench for a several hours, talking about everything and anything. You learned things and delved even deeper into your previous conversations about each other. You talked about stereotypical things like favorite colors, movies, music, and foods.

You didn’t even try to hide your blush when you told him that my new favorite color was teal.

“C’mon. Let’s go home and pick up the car.” Sans said as the sky began to grow dark, getting off the bench and offering you his boney hand.

“Why do we need the car? Where are we going?” You asked, excitedly. Was he taking you somewhere? The walk back home was quick and Sans pulled the keys for he and Papyrus’ car out of his pocket. Their car was an older seabring convertible in bright red. It seemed to you that Papyrus had picked out the car.

The car heated up quickly and Sans pulled out of the apartment parking lot. You asked a few times where he was driving to, but every time Sans would smile and tell you it was a surprise.

“No way!” You yelped, your mouth dropping open in awe when you saw the next part of the date. Sans snickered, pulling the car into another park, this one larger than the last. Every year this park created a holiday lights show. People would drive their cars through the light show in neutral, and the cars go on a track, much like a car wash, so that no one had to manually drive the car.

“Way.” Sans chuckled. “Are you _blinded_ by my dating prowess?”

You laughed, loving the little puns that he peppered into your conversations. Sometimes the puns were a little bit of a stretch, but it was adorable that he was attempting.

Sans pulled into the light show and the car was quickly hooked up onto the track behind a long line of other cars. Leaning back into the seat, Sans reached across the middle to grab your hand and tugged it lightly.

“You can come over here…if you want.” Sans said, holiday music playing lowly in the background. The track the car was on was slow, so it seemed relatively safe to unbuckle your seatbelt. You slid across the seat bench and cuddled up to Sans’ side.

The lights were beautiful, twinkling in the night. The lights were stereotypical; Santa, elves, reindeer, trees, stars, and other holiday themes. Sans seemed content as well, his skull resting on top of yours. You kicked your feet up onto the spare seat and leaned more heavily against Sans.

“I’m not crushing you, right?” You asked softly, hoping that you weren’t making him uncomfortable.

“Babe, I wouldn’t mind if you took my breath away.”  He winked down at you, causing you to snort and giggle. He loved your laugh, especially when it came so quickly that you couldn’t try to control your volume. Hearing your unbridled laugher made his magic pump warmer through his bones.

“Nerd.” You said affectionately, nuzzling deeper into his warm jacket.

He chuckled, a deep rumble that shook his ribcage. It brought happy tingles to your skin and made you smile. You felt his gaze on you, so you looked up at the smiling skeleton. His mouth parted and a neon blue tongue swiped across the teeth.

Huh, that was new.

“Can I…w-would you…” Sans trailed off nervously. The white pin pricks of his eyes kept bouncing from your eyes to your lips. You instantly knew what he wanted to do. Smiling, you moved your face closer to his, but left enough room between your faces so that he could pull away if he was too nervous.

The pin prick of Sans’ right eye disappeared, and his left eye pupil turned bright blue and began to grow. His eye glowed, not bright enough for you to shield your eyes, but enough to give off a calming blue glow. It reminded you of the full moon over the ocean.

Calming, soothing, strong.

Sans craned his head down and pressed his teeth, because he had no lips, into your awaiting lips. His kiss was smooth, warm, and made your lips tingle. One of Sans’ hands came to the back of your head to cradle it, weaving his finger bones into your hair.

The kiss lasted for a few minutes, a few wonderful, astounding, star shattering minutes. When the both of you pulled away, you were thankful you were sitting down because your knees felt weak. Sans was thankful to be sitting too, his bones were shaking so hard he felt like he was going to fall apart.  

“Wow.” You whispered, trying to calm your heart down.

Sans chuckled, pulling you closer to his ribs. “You’re tellin’ me, babe. Woah.”

The holiday light show lasted for about an hour, and it was spent in relative silence. Every so often one of you would move an arm or adjust yourselves so that you could hold each other better. The both of you were still shell shocked over the amazing kiss.

Sans holding you felt more intimate than you could have imagined. He was warm, firm, and made you feel safer than you had felt in a long time. You had always found yourself needing to be strong for yourself and others, but in his arms you felt like you could relax and let go. Calm. His embrace was calm.

To Sans, your embrace and weight against his ribcage was grounding. This was real. The world, the sky, you; it was all real. There was no more Chara, no more resets, no more murder. Life wasn’t peaches and cream, but it was better than he could have imagined. He’d happily put up with racists and bigots everyday if he had a few essentials; his brother, you, and the stars. 

“________.” Sans whispered as the car chugged past a light display of a smiling Santa baking cookies with his elves. You glanced up at the skeleton, who was looking out of the front windshield. He was sweating a little bit, one of his hands began to twirl nervously through your hair.

“Sans.” You whispered back. There was no reason for the two of you to be whispering, you were the only ones in the car, but neither of you wanted to break the calm that surrounded you. His other hand, which rested on your lower back, began to rub soothing circles.

“Could…would you like to…to be my guy?” Sans said, his voice gruff. “My b-boyfriend, I mean.”

Your heart began to thud into your chest. You were ecstatic, you practically began to vibrate. No…you had to play it cool. Answer him coyly, like all the actors did in those rom-com movies. Guys liked that, right?

Fuck it.

“Yes!” You practically screamed, leaping up. Sans jolted in surprise, but a massive smile split his skull when he realized that you said yes. You cupped his cheekbones, rubbing your thumbs under his eye sockets. You leaned forwards once more, locking your lips to his teeth. Sans hummed happily, caressing the sides of your face with quaking fingers.

“So, I’ll take it that you liked this date.” Sans said happily.

Giggling, you pressed your forehead to his. “I like this date, and I like you.”

Sans smiled, his blue eye flickering yellow and his cheekbones burning a dark blue.

The light show was at its end, and Sans took back control of the car as it pulled off the end of the track. The drive back home was quiet, with you snuggled into the crook of Sans’ arm. Probably not the safest place to be in a moving car, but you chose to throw caution to the wind for another few moments in his grasp.

“Home sweet home.” Sans sighed as he pulled back into the apartment parking lot. He got out of the car and popped back up beside your door and opened it for you. You weren’t used to, or too keen, on chivalry, but it was different with Sans. He wasn’t chivalrous to insinuate that you were weak or unable to hold your own door; he did it to be kind and to make you feel special.

And holy hell did he make you feel special.

In the elevator, Sans refused to drop the arm he had wrapped around your waist. When you opened the door to your apartment, you found Papyrus in the kitchen, vigorously stirring a pot on the stove.

“Hey, Pap!” You called, beginning to shuck off all your winter outerwear.

“Brother! Human!” Papyrus yelped, rushing over to the front door to give you both hugs. Papyrus clung to Sans a little longer than he had with you. You smiled at the sight of the two brothers. They were so cute, you felt that your heart was going to overload from their cuteness.

“What’cha cookin’ in there, Paps?” Sans asked, glancing in the direction of the kitchen. Gasping happily, the taller skeleton raced into the kitchen, dragging Sans behind him by his arm.

“It’s a new dish! Pasta alfredo!” Papyrus said, motioning for Sans to peer into the bubbling pot. You could smell it from the archway of the kitchen, and it smelled wonderful. You loved yourself some pasta alfredo!

“It smells great.” You said, making the taller skeleton blush orange. He began to putter around the kitchen, tossing different types of spices into the pot. Sans had told you of a time when Papyrus used to throw random nonsense into his dishes; things like glittler, leaves, and ground up acorns.

You were thankful that Sans had gotten Papyrus cooking lessons for his birthday last year.

Dinner was a nice event, with good people, and pretty great food.

With a belly full of pasta, you shuffled off for your nightly shower. Under the hot water, you found that you didn’t need the extra minutes under the hot water to unwind. You felt relaxed and calm; two things you usually didn’t feel after spending the day with other people.

What could you say? You enjoyed your personal space.

Letting the shampoo rinse from your hair, you took a minute to soak in your happy feelings. You had a boyfriend! A loving little bone boy with a cute smile and a never ending list of puns. And that kiss, _that kiss_ , God strike you down if that wasn’t the best kiss you’d ever gotten in your entire life.

Freshly showered, you pulled on some sweatpants and the hoodie that Sans had given you. It still smelled like him, his scent only slightly diluted by your own. Exiting the bathroom, you could hear Sans and Papyrus sitting on the couch talking to each other. Sans was teasing Papyrus, good-naturedly of course, causing the taller skeleton to shout playfully at his older brother.

Laughing, you headed off to bed.

About an hour later, you had become very drowsy after settling down and watching a few youtube videos to further relax yourself. You’d seen Papyrus walk past your open door towards the bathroom before going to his own bedroom.

Soft footsteps caused you to glace up towards your doorway. Sans shuffled into your room quietly, dressed for bed and wearing pink fluffy slippers on his feet.

“You didn’t think I was gonna leave you without a goodnight kiss, did’ja?” Sans chuckled quietly, coming to stand by the edge of your bed. Leaning down, he pressed his teeth against your awaiting lips. You both held the kiss for a few moments.

Pulling away, Sans ran his thumb along your bottom lip. “Night, babe.”

“Night, bone boy.” You smiled, kissing his thumb before he pulled away. With another smile, Sans went back to his bedroom, door open, so that you could see him climb into bed and settle down for the night.

More content than you had ever felt, you let yourself fall asleep.


	14. Flowers and First Time Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

On Monday, you had to get up early for your job as the secretary at the law office. Dressed professionally, you made yourself some lunch before tiptoeing out of the apartment. Sans and Papyrus were still asleep, snoring away in their beds. You didn’t have the heart to wake either of them up.

At work, you sat at your desk and attempted to get comfortable. The day was slow, not many clients came in and not many people were calling the office. That was fine with you. The less phone calls you had to transfer to the appropriate attorneys, the better.

The office phone rang, which you quickly answered with a peppy “Hello! Law offices!”

“Hello, sweetheart.” Toriel’s voice came from the other line. You were surprised to hear her voice, but you were more than happy to talk to her. “I was calling to congratulate you.”  

You flushed, instantly knowing that Toriel had found out about you and Sans. The two of you weren’t planning on keeping your relationship a secret, but you surprised that the goat-monster had found out so quickly!

“T-thank you!” You said bashfully. “How did you find out so quickly?”

Toriel giggled. “Don’t forget that I’m a mother, ________. I have ears and eyes _everywhere_.”

“Papyrus told you…didn’t he?” You asked bluntly. Toriel laughed, but relented and agreed.

“Sans told him over breakfast this morning. Very nonchalantly apparently. Papyrus was absolutely elated and rushed across the hall. He woke Frisk up by jumping on their bed.”

That sounded like him.  

“So I was just calling to congratulate you and hope you have a good day! Frisk is very happy to hear about you two!” Toriel chimed.

Of course Frisk was happy. That kid should open up their own dating agency.

You ended the call with Toriel happily, promising to see her and Frisk after work.  The rest of the morning was slow. A few clients here and there. A few ticked off clients calling about their taxes and closings.

When you went into the break room to get some tea, Miss Deb called to you from her office.

“Morning, what’s up?” You asked her, leaning against the doorway. From her desk, surrounded by files, Miss Deb smiled at you.

“Good morning! I just wanted to tell you that the case between your two _friends_ -” She left the sentence with a questioning tone.

“Boyfriend.” You corrected with a smile. Deb beamed back at you. “My boyfriend and his brother.”

“Called it.” Deb said with a winning smile on her face. “You’re not one to call in favors for just anybody.”

You blushed, too bashful to find anything to say. 

“Anyways, I wanted to tell you that the case is leaning in our favor fabulously.” Deb said, flicking through a massive manila folder that was on her desk. “I’ve gotten statements and proof of their living conditions, which are by far under the housing laws of the city and the apartment owner broke their rental contract many times over.”

“That’s great!” You said, coming over to her desk to take a look at all the evidence that Deb had collected. She was one of the best attorneys in the city, after all. “I want to thank you again for doing this.”

Deb shook her head, shutting the file. “The pleasure is all mine, those monsters of yours were treated _horribly_. I want the monster community of this city to see me as an attorney they can come to who won’t screw them over and is really true about fighting for their rights!”

That’s what you loved about Deb; she had a serious sense of social justice. You had heard from Toriel that many attorneys would not take monster cases seriously. It was always a huge relief for a monster to find a professional who would treat them the same as any of their other human clients.

“Well, I better get back to my desk. Thank you again, you’re the best!” You said, going back to the front desk. When you came back, there was a postal worker waiting in front of your desk. You smiled at them as you came to stand behind your desk. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, are you Mister _________?” The postal worker asked. “This delivery of his needs to be signed for.”

Delivery? You told the worker that you were indeed  yourself, signed his electronic signer machine, and waited to see what was about to be given to you. From their trolley, the worker placed a small vase of flowers on your desk. There were two small note cards attached around their stems, one on plain grey paper and another, more colorful tye-dye card.

“T-thanks!” You thanked the worker, who left with a smile and a nod. The flowers were much like the ones that Sans had given you for your first date. White and blue wildflowers, but this time there were some bright orange lilies in the mix.

Pulling off the more colorful card first, you read the bold handwriting: ‘ ** _DEAREST HUMAN, I MADE THIS! HAVE A GOOD DAY AT WORK. I ALSO DREW YOU A PICTURE ON THE BACK. ~LOVE, THE GREAT FLOWER-CRAFTER PAPYRUS’_**

You glanced at the back of the note card to see a rather impressive caricature of Papyrus’ face.  Wow, he even drew the shape of his smile perfectly. He was a very creative skeleton.

You grabbed the other card and smiled at the small, but neat font. _‘some flowers for my handsome flower. pap organized them together, but i supervised. hope you aren’t too bonley without me at work. see you at home, babe. –s’_      

That seemed exactly like your bone boy. Too lazy to capitalize anything or write his whole name.

Smiling, you trailed your fingers over the flowers. They were perfect. If Papyrus ever were to consider a job, he should work as a florist. You need to remember to tell him that when you get home. You placed your flowers on your desk where they wouldn’t be knocked over and could brighten up your usually dreary surroundings.

“Nice flowers.” One of the attorneys said as they came to the front desk to collect some mail. “A new partner in your life?”

Blushing, you told them that you had a boyfriend, a very sweet one at that. The attorney congratulated you before continuing on their way. You usually weren’t one to show-boat your relationships, but you couldn’t help but brag about Sans to anyone who would listen, your coworkers or clients included.

Although today certainly wasn’t the worst day at work you’d ever had, you were ready to go home and relax at the end of the day. Your back was hurting from sitting in your sub-par desk chair all day, you thought you would snap if you heard one more phone ring, and you were seriously done dealing with other people.

All you wanted was to go home to your apartment, shower, and sleep.

After a slightly traffic-filled ride home, you zombie-walked into the apartment. You could hear music coming from the kitchen, fast paced and high energy pop. Inside, Papyrus was whisking something in a large metal bowl, jerking his body along to the song that was playing.

“Hey, Paps.” You greeted, going into the kitchen to grab a drink. “Having a good day?”

“Of course, dear human!” Papyrus said, turning down his music, which was playing from an old boom box. “Welcome home!”

Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, you went over to the fridge to pour yourself a drink. “I got the flowers that you and Sans sent me. They were really nice, thank you so much!”

Papyrus laughed, a quirky guffaw that sounded like _nyeh heh heh_ , that made you want to laugh along with him. “Thank you! You shouldn’t be surprised! For I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, am a florist extraordinaire!”

“I believe that! You’ve got an eye for flowers, Pap. They were really beautiful.”

Papyrus’ cheek bones turned orange. Huh, that’s pretty cute. Not as cute as Sans, but the bright orange color did fit Papyrus’ bright and peppy personality perfectly. He put down whatever he was whisking, it looked like chunky pasta sauce, and took a cautious step towards you.

“I…I have been helping Asgore out at his flower store.” Papyrus said softly, almost nervously. “His majesty offered me a job there, but I haven’t told Sans yet.”

Confused, you tilted your head. “Why not, Paps?”

Shrugging, the taller skeleton scratched the back of his skull. “I don’t want Sans to be disappointed.”

“Pap…” You said, surprised by the usually confident skeleton’s shy demeanor. “Sans wouldn’t be disappointed. He loves you and he’d be proud no matter what.”

“You think so, human? A florist is a big jump away from member of the royal guard…” Papyrus said, nervously tapping his finger bones together.

This was so Twilight Zone for you. Papyrus had never shown any kind of weakness, not sense he revealed how sad and lost he was after his fight with Sans. This nervous side of Papyrus was heartbreaking.

“Does working at Asgore’s store make you happy?” You asked. Papyrus’ face lit up with happiness.

“Yes! All those new beautiful flowers! Asgore brought some flowers up from the Underground, and so many humans come in to buy them! So many new people to meet! People to meet who love, THE GREAT PAPYRUS’ FLORAL CREATIONS!” Papyrus screamed, throwing his lanky arms in the hair in victory.

There was the Papyrus you know and love!

“If that job makes you happy, do it! There’s no shame in being a florist, it’s a great job, especially if it makes you happy! Sans wants you to be happy.” You said, smiling up at the tall skeleton.

Orange tears, which looked like droplets of orange soda, began to bead at the edges of Papyrus’ eye sockets. He lunged forwards, wrapping his arms around you and began to spin around the kitchen. He was laughing loudly, and you couldn’t help but laugh along. 

“Oh, thank you, dear human! I am so happy that you have met all of my brother’s relationship standards!”

What a strange compliment. Eh, you’ll take it.

“You’re welcome, Paps.” You said, hugging the skeleton back tightly. “Now, what are you making?”

Papyrus was making pasta sauce, like you suspected. When asking why he was whisking the mashed tomatoes, Pap said that bruising the tomatoes like they were your enemies made the flavors more pronounced.

 _Huh_. Interesting culinary technique.

Sans came home from work a few hours later, smelling like ice cream and waffle cones. Shucking off his coat, he came and sat with you in the kitchen just in time for Papyrus to start plating his spaghetti, which smelled pretty great.

“Hey Pap.” Sans greeted hopping up onto the bar stool. He leaned over to you, pressing a short kiss to your lips. “Hey, babe.”

“Welcome home, bone boy.” You smiled, your stomach filling with butterflies. Sans smiled, happy at seeing you becoming so flustered by two words and a small kiss. You were adorable.

Papyrus placed two plates in front of you and Sans before making his own plate and sitting beside his brother. After twirling the noodles around your fork, you took a small bite, and was surprised to find that this pasta was even better than what Pap had made a few days prior.

“I didn’t know you could get any better. This is really good, bro.” Sans complimented his brother, eagerly eating his pasta. Papyrus’ chest puffed out in pride.

“I know, brother! It is amazing that the great Papyrus could become even GREATER!” 

Dinner was eaten as you all chatted. Papyrus told Sans about the job at Asgore’s shop, which Sans seemed happy about. Papyrus was instantly relieved at Sans positive response. You winked at him as to say ‘ _See, you were worried about nothing!’._

That night went as many others had gone. The three of you watched TV, cleaned up a bit, and got ready for bed. Sans read Papyrus a story, sometimes you were asked to join, but tonight’s story time occurred while you showered.

Once you were clean, dressed, and warm in bed, Sans came into your room to kissed you goodnight again. He whispered good night with a small smile on his face before heading off to his own bed. Sans climbed into his bed, kicking his pink slippers off. With a snap of his fingers, the lights in his bedroom went out.

 _Huh_ …lazy magic.

You drifted off to sleep, content in your dreams. You were really hoping to see that puppy dog with the cookie basket again. Unfortunately, it was one of those nights where you didn’t really dream of anything memorable.

You felt like you hadn’t been asleep long, when a deep scream jolted you from your bed. Scared, your eyes caught the faint glow of blue coming from Sans room. He was curled up in a lump on his bed under the sheets. After the sleep cleared from your eyes, you realized that the glowing was coming from under the sheets. Untangling yourself clumsily from your sheets, you dashed into Sans room. He was having a nightmare, a pretty horrible looking one at that.

Sans was breathing heavily, fingers digging into his blankets like his life depended the grasp. His left eye was glowing a neon blue, and his bones were surrounded by a similar faint glow and quaking. There was sweat pouring down his skull, dripping off his jaw and soaking his sheets beneath him.

“Sans?” You called, climbing onto the bed, jostling him slightly. His eyes darted towards you, a grimace on his skull. One of his eyes was glowing blue, the other was a blank socket. You reached out and touched his cheek, which he quickly grabbed onto and held. He pressed your hand into his face, breathing deeply into your palm. His breath was heaving and uneven, it sounded like he was mere moments away from an anxiety attack.

“__-_________.” Sans whispered, nuzzling deeper into your palm. He cleared his throat. “I-I’m sorry I w-woke you.”

“Don’t worry about that. Are you alright?” You asked, wiping at his soaked brow bone with your free hand. You didn’t miss the fact that the hand that held yours to his cheek was quaking. Whatever his nightmare was, it literally shook him to his bones.

“I…it’s…complicated.” Sans sighed, closing his eyes in exhaustion. He didn’t want to tell you the truth. The resets, the saves, those _horrible_ genocide timelines. It was enough to make him want to sob. God, he couldn’t tell you. He couldn’t stand it if you left him. He couldn’t take it. He couldn’t believe he was breaking down in front of you like this. Was he scaring you? It was only the first full night of the two of you being a couple. God, he was going to screw this up royally.

You saw his reluctance. You weren’t going to push the poor guy. If he wanted to keep a secret, you had to respect that. Sans would tell you in time. You trusted him, but you wanted him to know that you were there whenever he was ready to open up.

Gingerly, you pulled your hand away from Sans’ cheek. You then tucked your hands underneath him and pulled him up into a sitting position. He may be made of bones, but he sure was heavy. You wiped at his forehead again before brushing a kiss against the bone.

“C’mon, let’s get you in the shower.” You said, noticing that he had completely soaked through his sleeping clothes, his blanket, and sheets. Slightly off kilter from his nightmare, you had to help Sans get to his feet. You walked him into the bathroom and sat him down on the lid of the closed toilet.

Turning the shower on, you tested the temperature of the water with your hand. Satisfied with the temperature, you returned to Sans, and tugged at his shirt. Sans looked up at you, dark circles under his eye sockets. Poor thing looked exhausted. Your concern must have been apparent, for Sans grabbed your hand and squeezed it.

“I’m alright, baby. Just tired, _bone_ tired.” He said, lifting his arms over his head as you pulled his sweat soaked shirt over his head. You couldn’t help but let a small smile slip over your lips.

Sans would never give up an opportunity for a pun.

You figured Sans could undress himself the rest of the way. Waking over to the towel cabinet, you pulled out a large blue towel and placed it on the countertop before checking the running water once again.

“Shower.” You commanded, pressing another kiss to the crown of Sans’ skull. He hummed, reaching down to pull off his socks. You left the bathroom, leaving the door opened just a crack in case Sans called for you.

You went into Sans’ room and stripped the sweat soaked sheets from his mattress. You carried the sheets into the laundry room which was more like a small closet between Sans’ and Papyrus’ room. Throwing the sheets into the wash machine, you grabbed fresh ones from the linen closet to re-dress the bed.

On your way back to Sans’ bedroom, you made a pit stop in the kitchen. Coffee probably wasn’t the best idea right now. Sans needed some sleep, not to be jacked up on caffeine. You dug through the drawer where you kept all your different types of tea. Finding what you were looking for, sleepytime tea, you heated up a mug of water and prepared the hot drink.

Carrying the clean sheets and tea into the bedroom, you re-dressed the bed with the dry sheets. Just as you were stuffing the pillow into the clean pillow case, you heard the running water of the shower shut off. You hurried to open the drawers and pulled out a new shirt and sweat shorts for Sans to wear.

Sans stumbled into his bedroom, his towel wrapped around his waist. His bones were now damp with fresh water instead of sweat. You didn’t miss the blue blush that crossed his cheekbones, but you didn’t want him to feel embarrassed.

You handed him the pair of shorts, which he hurriedly tugged on after he dropped his towel. You looked away, trying to give Sans some kind of privacy. You then gestured for him to raise his arms up so that you could put his skull through the neck hole of the clean shirt. After the shirt was on him, Sans wrapped you tightly in a warm hug. His fingers pressed into your back and his face was nestled into your chest.

“Thanks, babe.” Sans whispered, leaning his head deeper against your chest and sighing. His head turned towards his bed, and his eye sockets widened. “Did…did you…make my bed?”

“Yeah.” You said, gently pushing Sans in the direction of his freshly made bed. “Sorry.”

“N-no…thank you. No one has…made my bed for me before.”  Sans said, gingerly pulling back the blanket. Before he got into bed, he noticed the mug of hot tea at his bedside drawer. “Did you…make me tea?”

You nodded happily, telling him it was especially to help with sleep. Shakily, he slid into bed, pressing his hands into the sheets. You always managed to surprise him. He looked from the bed to the mug of tea at his bedside, looking lost. Blue tears were starting to bead up in his eyes. “I just… _don’t understand_.”

“What don’t you understand?” You asked, climbing into the bed and sitting beside Sans as he laid down. Sans hiccupped, trying to force down a sob.

“Why you agreed to…to _this_.” Sans said, gesturing to something. Confused, it took you a moment to realize that he was gesturing to himself. Horrified, you lunged forward and grabbed his hands. You squeezed the bones between your fingers.

“Why I agreed to what? To you?” You asked, your heart pounding in your chest.

“Y…yes.” Sans said, looking down at his hands. “You could have any human you want…why _deal_ with me? Tolerate _me_?”

“I don’t deal or tolerate you.” You hissed, hurt by his self-deprecating words. The realization that he thought so little of himself made your skin crawl. “I love being around you, Sans. I want to be with you and I want you to be with me.”

Sans grunted, another poor attempt at holding back a sob. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not sure about the other people you’ve dated, but I date for the long term, bone boy. You’re kind of stuck with me.”

A moment of silence passed. Had you gone over a line? Made him feel uncomfortable, trapped? “U-unless…you want to be just friends.”

Sans jolted, sitting up, a horrifying blue gleam in his eye. “No! _No, no, no_!” He said, sounding slightly desperate. “I…there’s _nothing_ more than I want than this…than _us_.”

You reached out, wrapping your arms around his quaking body. He was shaking, but it was a little less violent than before. “I can stay here. If that’s okay with you.”

Sans’ fingers twiddled nervously at your shoulder. “If it wouldn’t bother you, babe, I’d like that.”

You tugged the blanket over you both and curled around him. His rib cage pressed against your torso, and his chin rested atop your head. He took a deep breath, the air whistling softly as it blew through his ribs, and relaxed.

“Goodnight, Sans.” You whispered, nuzzling into his collar bone.

“Night babe.” Sans whispered softly, taking the blanket and tucked it in tighter around your back. Warmed by the sweet gesture, you felt safe and calm. You felt darkness over taking you, and you were soon happily asleep.


	15. Beginning to Relax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Knowing that Sans had the next day off of work, you woke up early and snuck out of Sans’ arms to call sick out of work. Your manager understood and wished you well; it was very rare for you to call off for work, but you figured that it was important for you to stay home today.

Sans had slept through the night after the first initial nightmare, but his sleep was restless. His tight grip around your shoulders and waist had woken you up a few times during the night. Sans also began murmuring in his sleep. Something about resetting and a lab.

You spent most of the night awake, rubbing Sans’ spine and the back of his ribs over his shirt. He needed some form of comfort other than your body heat. The idea of waking him up crossed your mind a few times, but the dark circles under his closed eye sockets stopped you from doing so. Did he sleep often? The dark circles told you that he didn’t sleep as much as Papyrus said he did.

After getting off the phone with your manager, you tossed your phone onto your bed. Sans was still asleep, if not a little bit more restless than before. At least a bad sleep was still better than no sleep, right?

 _Ugh_.

Thinking back about last night, you were surprised that Papyrus had not woken up.  You checked in on Papyrus, who was snoring away in his bed. How many nightmares has he slept through? Or worse; how many of Sans’ nightmares did Papyrus know about and keep hidden?

Papyrus was the type to be a worry-wart, especially about his brother.

Walking into the kitchen, you decided that a special breakfast would lift Sans’ spirits a bit. Food fixed most problems, right? You pulled the tube of premade cinnamon roll dough and icing  out of the fridge and preheated the oven. While you waited for that, you began chopping up potatoes to fry them. When the potatoes were fried, you could drench them in cheese and ketchup.  

Sugar, grease, and ketchup. It sounded like a perfect Sans’ breakfast.

The sound of the jiggling door knob made you glance towards the front door. Quickly, you dried your hands, wet from washing them, and unlocked and opened the front door.

Glancing down, you spied a bright-eyed and bushy tailed Frisk. They frowned, pointing towards your door with an accusatory gesture. ‘ _You locked the door. You okay?’_

“Huh.” You said, surprised at the door. You _never_ locked it, only when you were leaving and no one was home. Frisk had the quirk of breaking into your apartment to say hello at all hours of the day, so you left it unlocked for them. Maybe you had locked it accidentally after coming home from work. “Sorry about that, big boss.”

Frisk nodded, as if your apology was accepted. ‘ _Mom smelled cinnamon buns. They smell good.’_ Frisk said with a playful smile and batting their eyes.

Like mother like child, even when it comes to smelling pastries.

Chuckling, you grabbed a Tupperware container and stashed a few cinnamon buns into it. You sealed it up, the clear plastic fogging up from the pastries being still toasty warm from the oven, and handed the parcel to Frisk.

“Here ya’ go, big boss.” You said, holding back a chuckle from seeing Frisk’s elated expression. “You all ready for school?” You asked, seeing that Frisk was wearing a pair of red pajamas, thick socks, and a pair of pink slippers, much like Sans.

 _‘It’s wear pajamas to school day.’_ Frisk signed, throwing their arms out and spinning to show off their outfit for the day. _‘I’ve got slippers like Uncle Sans!’_

“I see that! Looking good.” You complimented the kid, who smiled. They stuck up one leg and wriggled their slippered foot at you. “Sans would be proud. Now, get. You’ve got to catch your buss.”

Beaming, Frisk jumped up and down in excitement. With a quick ‘ _Bye! Thanks! See ‘ya_!’ sign, Frisk was rushing out the door. You left it open, still confused as to how it became locked last night.

“Oh! Cinnamon buns!” You could hear Toriel’s faint voice from their apartment. “Thank you, ________!” Toriel called to you. You shouted back a welcome, and went back to preparing the rest of your breakfast.

While you were waiting for the potatoes to slowly fry, you took a seat at the breakfast bar to contemplate your options. How do you approach what happened last night with Sans? Do you go with the nonchalant approach, or would that come off as condescending? Do you sequester Sans into a room and demand him to tell you? Nah, that’s too forceful.

You just didn’t want him to go through this, whatever _this_ was, alone.

In the midst of your mental squabbling, Papyrus had woken up. He took a few minutes in the bathroom before he sashays into the living room-kitchen. He looked peppy and ready for the day. He was wearing a pair of brightly colored pants and a white shirt that had ‘ _Flower Power!’_ written on it in what looked like permanent marker. A green apron was thrown over his shoulder.

“Going to work today?” You asked, gesturing towards the green apron. With a laugh, Papyrus quickly donned the apron and posed like a super hero.

“How do I look, dear Human?” Papyrus asked, taking a different pose. Clapping, you told him that he looked great, and that anyone who didn’t want to order flowers from him was insane. He eagerly agreed with you, coming into the kitchen and getting himself some juice.

“I am very excited for today!” Papyrus hummed, practically vibrating in excitement. “I know that today is going to be a good day!”

Hopefully, it would be.

Sans woke up soon after, practically dragging himself out of his bedroom. The dark circles under his eyes were a little lighter and his bones creaked a little less when he walked than they usually did. His typical lazy grin seemed like it came easier too; not as forced as usual.

“Good morning, brother of mine!” Papyrus said, jamming his boots onto his feet. “I am off to Asgore’s shop!”

“See ‘ya bro.” Sans said, not noticing your presence in the kitchen yet. “Have a good day.”

Papyrus huffed, good naturedly. “Every day I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, has is a GREAT day!” He left the apartment, mistakenly slamming the door behind him in his excitement to start his true first day of work.

Still not realizing you were home, because you were usually at work by this time, Sans slowly shuffled into the kitchen towards the coffee maker. He kept his eye sockets on the prize, caffeine, and still hadn’t looked towards the stove where you were.

“Skull in the clouds?” You asked, poorly hiding your chuckles when Sans jolted in surprise. He looked at you, shocked that you were still home, and shook himself awake.

“Y-you’re home!” Sans said, not truly believing that you were here. He thought you would take the first chance to get out of the apartment after what you saw last night. He was a little embarrassed.

Feeling his embarrassment, you stepped closer to your boyfriend. “I took today off to be with you.”

While he stood their shell-shocked, you turned back to the oven to plate the food. Grabbing a bottle of ketchup from the fridge, you nudged Sans to go sit on the couch. “C’mon, breakfast.”

Still shocked, Sans slowly went through the archway of the kitchen and sat on the couch. You brought over your breakfast, happy when the pin pricks of Sans’ eyes brightened at the greasy, sugary, and ketchup laden plate you set on the low table before him.

“Thanks, babe.” Sans said, picking up his fork. “You stayed home to make breakfast?”

Already having dug into your own plate, you nodded with a mouthful of cinnamon bun. “I thought you’d like some company today.”

There. You didn’t come right out and talk about the nightmare, but you clearly insinuated about it. If Sans wanted to talk about it, he could take the bait, but if he wanted to forget it, he could. He was in charge of how this conversation went.

Sans fiddled with the bottle cap on the ketchup, seemingly making a choice of if he wanted to talk about his nightmare or not. He didn’t want to scare you off. The idea that you stayed home to make sure he was alright made his bones warm. You were a sweet boyfriend; too sweet to him.  

There were a feat beats of silence before Sans responded. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“Don’t be sorry.” You said instantly. “You don’t choose to have nightmares.” 

Sans frowned, unsure of what to say to that. You were right, of course.

“I’m not going to make you talk about anything if you don’t want to.” You sighed, seeing the slightly relieved look that crossed your boyfriend’s face. “But please talk to someone. Pap, Tori, anyone. And if you want to talk to me about it…I’m always here.”

Sans was quiet for a moment, fiddling with his fingers. He then began to nervously playing with the zipper of his jacket.

“Under…Underground.” Sans started, looking anywhere but you. “There was… _aaaaauughh….fuck_!” Sans groaned, thrusting his skull into his shaking hands. “I don’t know where to start.”

Pushing your plate away on the table, it didn’t seem very appropriate to be shoving your face with food right now, you scooted closer to Sans. You weren’t sure if he felt like being touched right now, but you threw caution to the wind and wrapped your arm around Sans’ shoulders.

“Someone… _someone_ did horrible things in the past.” Sans whispered, leaning into your embrace. “Everything’s alright now…almost like it never really happened. No one remembers them doing anything evil…only that _someone_ and I do. Everyone else has…forgotten.”

“Who?” You asked. Sans winced, closing his eyes and pushing his face into the crook of your neck. He took a shaky breath, his hands finding purchase in the fabric of your shirt. You wrapped your arm more tightly around him, your free hand coming to hold the back of his skull. 

“F-Frisk.”

“Frisk?” You whispered, shocked. “A different Frisk, or _our_ Frisk?”

Sans hung his head, ashamed. He was sure you thought he was crazy. “…Our Frisk.”

Unsure of what to say, you held tighter onto Sans. You were hoping that he would collect himself and keep talking, because you didn’t know where to take the conversation. You couldn’t imagine that Frisk, sweet little Frisk, would do anything that Sans could describe as horrible.

“This is going to sound…insane.” Sans said, voice shaking. “But…when Frisk came to the Underground, Tori told you that story, right?”

You nodded. Toriel had filled you in about how Frisk came to be her child and how they broke the barrier that kept all the monsters trapped underground. It was a miracle that Frisk had made the journey by themselves, with help from their friends.

After hearing Frisk’s story, you realized that not much would ever surprise you again.

“Frisk, when in the Underground, had the ability to…reset time.” Sans said, closing his eyes. He was preparing for you to push him away. To pack your bags and storm out of the apartment. You’d leave them, leave him.

“And how does…time travel…how does that relate to Frisk doing something horrible?” You asked, shocking Sans. With his soul pounding in his rib cage, he looked up at you in awe. You weren’t running. Sure, you were confused, but you weren’t running.

“S-sometimes…when Frisk would reset…there was a demon in the underground that would…take over their body. This demon, Chara, made Frisk do horrible things. Kill people. Everyone.” Sans said, the shaking getting worse. You were worried that his bones would begin to chip and dislocate from the ferocity of his shaking.

“Is Frisk in danger?” You asked seriously, worried for the little child. Sans shook his head, the tips of his fingers beginning to dig holes into the fabric of your shirt.

“N-no, Chara’s gone. Defeated when Frisk broke the barrier for the final time. They had broken the barrier before…but they would always reset the timeline because they could feel Chara inside their minds…and they didn’t want Chara to get to the surface. So Frisk had to repeat the timelines, both good and bad, dozens of times before they could finally weaken and destroy Chara.” Sans said, sounding equal parts exhausted and relieved.

“I…I always remembered the resets, but everyone else forgot. I lived the same few days over and over again for…so long. I lost track. Frisk never knew I knew…until this final time. I begged them to never reset again. I-I couldn’t take one more time.” Sans said, chuckling darkly. “I didn’t know they remembered resets, and they didn’t know I did either.”

You rocked Sans as he released some relieved tears. Caressing the back of his skull, you were beginning to become nervous. Was Sans okay? Was Frisk?

“First things first…is everything okay? Will there be another reset?” You asked gently. Time travel…you could barely wrap your mind around it. Thank God for all that Doctor Who binge watching.

Sans nodded, taking one quaking hand to wipe at his teary eye. “Frisk can’t reset anymore. There is no more Chara. Life is normal now. Everything’s okay…it’s just the shadows that linger we have to deal with.”

You sighed, feeling relieved. “So there’s no immediate danger. Right?”

Sans shook his head, unsure of what you were going to say. He was expecting you to leave much earlier than this. He couldn’t believe that you’d sat through his story, as poorly as he was able to explain the entire situation.

“Sans…”

Here it comes, he knows you’re going to leave him.

He’ll be alone…sure, he’ll have Papyrus, but you had a special place in his soul that he couldn’t imagine someone else filling.

You’d leave…and he’d never speak to you, hold you, touch…kiss…nothing.

“I am so sorry you had to go through that.”

Sans felt the world stop around him. He looked up at you in total awe. You smiled down at him, managing to hold back tears as he practically gasped for air. His left pupil began to glow and grow, to the neon blue that you were quickly growing familiar with. It seemed to happen whenever he experienced extreme emotions. Happiness, sadness, most likely anger too.

“It’s over now. We can deal with the nightmares and figure out how to make them stop.” You whispered, trailing your fingers over the back of his sweating skull. “I…I can’t even begin to imagine how disorientating it must be…to live and re-live and re-live time. I am so sorry.”  

Sans fought to bite back a whimper. He never believed that someone would verify his trauma. He always thought that no one, besides Frisk, could understand what he’d gone through. And as mature as Frisk was, he couldn’t pour his battered soul out to the kid. A mature child was still a child, and they saw Sans as an adult. He had to show a strong front for them.

But with you…he could let himself go.

You weren’t surprised when Sans began sobbing into your arms. His face was pressed against your collarbones, tears pouring out of his eye sockets. You held onto him tightly and began to rock back and forth. Pressing your lips to the crown of his skull, you whispered little comforts to the skeleton. You told him that he wasn’t alone anymore and never had to hide anything from you. You would never judge him and you would always keep his secrets.

The two of you sat there until the middle of the day, right around lunch. Sans pulled his face away from your chest and dried his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. He sniffled a little, wiping at the hole in his face where, if he were a human, a nose would have been.

“T-Thank you.” Sans said, his voice hoarse from releasing all his tears.

“No problem.” You smiled, hugging him tightly. “Now, I think there’s a big cinnamon bun with your name on it.”

“Wouldn’t that make it a cinnamon pun?”

“Sans…I swear to God, I will leave you here with all the dirty dishes.”

Sans laughed, pressing back against you.

To him, you were nothing short of incredible.


	16. Baths and Flower Arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

It was very rare that you took a bath, you much preferred the comfort of a shower, but you had happened upon a little store in the mall that sold bath bombs. Intrigued, you bought one the bath bombs and hopped into the tub as soon as you got home.

No one was home, so you felt comfortable enough to leave the bathroom door open a crack, so that it wouldn’t get too steamy in the room. You had soft music playing from your tablet, which was safely placed on the counter top away from the tub. Your cell phone was safe as well, but was an arm length away in case it was needed.

The bath bomb was wonderful, as the sales clerk had promised. The little ball had turned your clear bathwater bubbly and colorful; and scented the water with vanilla and cocoa butter. Feeling very relaxed, you tilted your head back onto the rolled towel you placed at the edge of the tub to act as a pillow, and took a few deep cleansing breaths.

_Brrrrringgg….brrrriiinnggg….brrriiiingggg._

Leaning over the edge of the tub, you pressed the answer and speaker buttons on your phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, ________!” Toriel chimed, sounding just as relaxed as you felt.

“Hey, Tori, how’s it going?” You responded, resting your head back onto your towel pillow.

“I’m doing very well. And yourself and your beau?” You could practically hear the smirk on her kind face. You felt your skin burn in embarrassment. You still weren’t used to people calling Sans’ your boyfriend. It made your skin tingle pleasantly and your heart beat a little faster.

“We’re all doing well on this side of the hall.” You hummed, adjusting yourself in the tub. “Are there any dates with Asgore in your future?”

A dreamy sigh came across the phone line, followed by a giggle. “In a few days, I’ll be taking Asgore out. Do you have any good ideas? We have gone out to dinner on a few occasions, but I feel changing up the scenery would be lovely.”

Thinking, you began to rattle off different date ideas. Movies, walks in the park, the holiday light show, ice skating, a horse-drawn sleigh ride; so many ideas from every romantic movie the both of you had ever seen. Toriel was toying between the idea of a night spent with Frisk decorating the Christmas tree and a date to the local botanical garden when you heard the front door open. 

“Tor, I gotta go. Someone’s home.” You said, not wanting to ignore Sans or Papyrus.

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later.” Toriel said, “Have a good night, _______.”

“You too, Tor. Do you want to come over for dinner?” You offered.

“No, but thank you so much. I’ve got a casserole in the oven for Frisk and I. Raincheck?” Toriel offered.

“Raincheck.” You agreed, bidding the goat-monster goodnight. With the phone call over, you climbed out of the now cool bath water.

“Welcome home!” You shouted, unsure of who was home. You reached down and unplugged the drain before reaching for your fluffy blue robe and wrapping it around your body in lieu of a towel.

There was a shuffle of fabric and the sound of boots being kicked off. “Hey, babe. I brought you home some cookies from an old friend of mine!”

Intrigued, and with a hankering for some cookies, you came out of the bathroom and ran to Sans. Standing in the living room with a brown paper bag in his hand, Sans stared at you in surprise.

Oh, that’s right, you were only wearing the robe.

“What? You’ve never seen good _bone structure_ before?” You joked, reaching for the bag. You were confident in your body, and you knew that you were well covered by your robe. There was no reason for Sans to be embarrassed to look at you.

Upon taking the bag, you realized that there was writing on the paper bag. ‘ _Miss Muffet’s Spider Goods and Bakery’_. Inside the bag was a mix of different delicious looking cookies, as promised! Picking up the one that looked the best, you shoved half the baked treat into your mouth.

“Tell your friend that they are the bomb!” You sighed, throwing yourself onto the couch while Sans, still a little shocked at the sight of you in your robe, went into his bedroom to change out of his work uniform. “How was work?”

“Slow.” Sans called. “Not many people want ice cream during the winter. Then again, I’m not going to complain. I’m practically getting paid to stand around and read when no ones in the shop.”

Happily, you listened to Sans tell you about his thankfully boring day at work. It was a huge change from his old hectic schedule of running from one shoddy job to another. Sans had quit his other two jobs, the hot dog stand in the dangerous park and the 24-hour technical repair and support job. He was beginning to become used to the free time.

The first day he had a day off, which was just before you began dating, he stayed in bed for hours catching up on sleep. When he finally rose from the dead, he sat numbly in the kitchen; unsure of what to do with himself and his newly found free time. Papyrus was able to drag him out of his stupor by playing a word jumble with him.

Now, Sans reveled in all the free time he had. The job at the ice cream place paid him fairly, with decent hours, and even gave him all the benefits that most employers wouldn’t give to their monster employees. With this free time, he spent it with you, his brother, Frisk; or by reading, baking, or going up to the roof to look at the sky.

“-so, all in all, a decent day.” Sans finished, coming out of his bedroom in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy shirt.

“Good.” You said, filling in Sans about your day as he sat with you on the couch. It was a slow day for you too, and when you brought up your bath, Sans practically groaned.

“That sounds amazing.” Sans said, heaving himself off the couch. “Underground, Pap and I only had a shower, same with our old apartment. A bath sounds great.”

Leaping to your feet and off the couch, you moved so quickly you shocked Sans. You were a pro at drawing awesome baths! You spent enough time and money on bath supplies; what can you say, you did splurge on yourself a little bit in the soap department.

“Let me draw you one! I make great baths!” You said, beating Sans into the bathroom. You began to run the water while you went over to the closet and began looking through all your bath-supplies. You had different bubbles, bath salts, bath bombs, and other odds and ends. You weren’t sure which scents Sans would like. You called out to him and asked what scents he liked.

“Uhh…you smell good. Give me whatever smells like you.” Sans called from the living room. You blushed, pulling out the supplies that you frequently used whenever you pampered yourself.

Quickly, the bath was filled with beautifully colored water, bubbles, and scents. You called for Sans after you double checked the temperature of the water. It was perfect! Sans came into the bathroom, carrying a thick science tome with him to read in the tub. 

“Thanks babe.” Sans said, his cheeks glowing neon blue. You went to leave the bathroom, when Sans cleared his throat. “This looks…really nice!”

“It is! Baths are awesome! They makes my skin feel so soft…I’m not sure you’ll get the same affects…” You chuckled, tapping your fingers on Sans phalanges. He snickered, shooing you out of the bathroom so that he could take his bath in peace.  You heard a small splash, and the sound of sloshing water.

“This…feels… amazing.” Sans’ muffled voice came from behind the bathroom door. “Thanks again, babe.”

Laughing, you made your way to your room to relax. “No problem, you deserve it, bone boy!”

Sitting on your bed, you began to check out all your usual sites online. Every so often, you could hear Sans move or make a noise. It was clear that he was enjoying the hot water and soaps. It was also very clear that it wasn’t often that Sans let his proverbial hair down and allowed himself some luxuries.

He also didn’t seem as confident in himself as he originally displayed.

Determined, you decided then and there that you would make Sans see how important and valuable he was! He deserved it, and you were a great boyfriend, after all.

* * *

 

The snow was coming down thick as a sheet. You were absolutely quaking and felt like the cold was permeating your very skin and seeping into your bones. All you wanted was to put on some dry pajamas and curl up on the couch with as many blankets as you could find.

Upon entering your apartment building, you smiled at the doorman, who asked if you were prepared for the holidays. You chatted with him for a moment, before wishing him a good night and hitting the call button for the elevator. Once the lift doors opened and you were inside, you were about to press the button for your floor-

“Hey! Human!”

Surprised, you looked around. Huh, nothing.

“Down here!”

Glancing down, you spied a little monster. They were smiling up at you with sharpened teeth and bright green eyes. The little monster was cute, with bright yellow scales, spikes running down their spine, and no arms. They were wrapped up in a cute little sweater that had a picture of a panda bear on it. This kid was too damn cute.

“Hey.” You said, crouching down to get on the same level with the monster. “Can I help ‘ya?”

The little monster nodded. “Can you hit the third floor button?”

“That’s where I’m going.” You said, standing up to press the button for your floor. “Do you know Toriel and Frisk?”

Who else could they be going to visit? There was no one else besides the three of you on that floor. The little monster nodded, their head swaying as they attempted to balance themselves as the elevator moved.

“Mhm! Frisk and I are friends! We go to school together!” They said happily. “Are you friends with Frisk?”

“I’m their neighbor, but a friend, too.” You said, just as the lift doors opened. You let the little monster out of the elevator first. The little monster charged down the hall, tripping and landing on their face once, but they quickly scrambled to their feet.

Very impressive without arms.

“Hold on! Let me knock for you!” You shouted, seeing as the kid had come to the door and was rearing their head back, as if they were about to smash their head against the door to knock.

“Thanks! I’m Monster Kid! Everyone calls me MK!” They said cheerily as you rapped at Toriel’s door and told MK your name. The door opened quickly to reveal an excited looking Frisk. Frisk made a sound, it sounded a little bit like an excited hoarse yelp, and quickly wrapped MK in a giant hug.

 _‘________!_ ’ Frisk signed, once they let go of MK and noticed you. ‘ _You’ve met MK? Friends?’_

“We met in the hallway.” You said. “Have a good night, you two!”

While on the way to your door, you heard MK ask Frisk: “He’s nice! He’s the one who’s dating your uncle?”

There was a bleep of silence, clearly Frisk was answering.

“Has he met Undyne yet?” MK asked, sounding secretive.

Huh? Undyne? You pondered on the name once you closed your door behind you. The name sounded familiar, but where had you heard it? You could imagine the name falling from Papyrus’ lips….teeth. You vaguely recalled something about cooking lessons and a royal guard.

“Welcome home, dear human!” Papyrus called from his room after he heard you enter the apartment. Walking down the hall, you found him sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom, surrounded by sheets of white paper and colored pencils. It looked like he was sketching out different ideas for floral arrangements and bouquets.

Bending down, you picked up one of the sketches. It was a very detailed sketch of white roses, bluebells, white carnations, all blended with baby’s breath and other greenage.

“This is beautiful, Paps.” You said, kneeling down beside the tall skeleton. “What are you sketching these for?”

Smoothing out a hard pencil line with his thumb bone, Papyrus hummed. “Asgore is going to ask Toriel to be his lady. He said he needs a GREAT gift to present to her, and who better to make a great floral arraignment than THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Papyrus asked you to help him sort through the dozens of floral sketches that he had created. For hours, the two of you sat on the bedroom floor and vetoed or accepted certain sketches. Some sketches had certain things that you both enjoyed, which the two of you added in to new sketches.

By the time seven o’clock at night rolled around, you and Papyrus had sketched out the most beautiful bouquet of flowers you’d ever seen. Its central color scheme was cream, lavender, plum, and white, with sprigs of greenery. Lilies, orchids, daisies, tulips, and other types of spring flowers bloomed from the vase. It was stunning; something deserving of Toriel.  

“What if…” You said, suddenly gaining a good idea. “When Asgore makes Tori this arrangement, he makes a small one for Frisk, too. He’s going to be their mother’s boyfriend, after all. We wouldn’t want Frisk to feel ignored or left out.”

“That is a WONDERFUL idea, friend!” Papyrus said, handing you a new sheet of paper. Quickly, you sketched out a small, simple arrangement. You didn’t have the creativity of Papyrus, who did after all, but you had a good eye. Reaching for the colored pencils, mostly the yellows and oranges, you began to lightly color in your sketch.

Papyrus _ohh-ed_ at the brightly colored yellow and orange arrangement of sunflowers, black-eyed susans, and honey suckle seemed to fit Frisk’s bright personality. Papyrus took the sketches and put them in his satchel to take with him to work tomorrow.

“Thank you for your help, ________!” Papyrus said, stretching before standing. “I shall make you a GREAT dinner to show my thanks!”

Smiling, the taller skeleton offered you his hand to help you up. With a surprising display of strength, he pulled you to your feet. The two of you went to the kitchen, giggling with each other about random things.

Papyrus offered to make you a new dish that he found online, baked ziti with meat sauce, which sounded wonderful. You said that you’d make some cheesy garlic bread to go along with the main course, which Papyrus seemed elated over. When you were slicing the garlic, he admitted to you that he had never tasted garlic bread before.

You could feel your heart breaking for him.

“My brother seems happy.” Papyrus changed the subject, pouring the sauce into the pan that was to be placed in the oven. “He hasn’t been truly happy in a long time. He thinks I don’t notice, but I do. I am the greatest of brothers after all.”

“That you are, Pap.” You agreed. Once again you were not surprised that Papyrus had a deeper insight on Sans’ internal struggles than anyone believed. “I’m…trying to help him feel better.”

“It’s working, dear human!” Papyrus said, sounding excited. “Today, I caught him smiling when he thought no one was looking! He usually fakes a smile, but this time, he was not! I would know!”

You felt happy, knowing that you were beginning to help Sans, no matter how slowly. He deserved to be happy and like himself. You wanted him to be as confident in himself as he pretends to be. You wanted him to spend his time doing things and hobbies he enjoyed. You wanted him to spend a night without screaming or sweating through his sheets from night terrors.

The timer for the garlic bread beeped just as Sans came in through the door. He took a deep breath, making you wonder how he smelled without a nose, and exhaled loudly.

“Something smells great!” Sans said, trotting into the kitchen and peering into the small window of the oven. “Learn another new recipe, Paps?”

You could already see the nervous sweat beading at Sans’ forehead.  

“It’s a good recipe.” You said, smiling down at Sans to silently tell him that the food wasn’t going to kill anyone. There was no glitter or un-edible objects added.

“Sans!” Papyrus suddenly shouted. “I had a WONDERFUL idea today!”

“Really?” Sans asked, sitting down at the breakfast bar. “What is it, bro?”

“What if…at the ice cream store…you made SPAHGETTI ICE CREAM!” Papyrus said, slipping on a pair of brightly colored oven mitts to retrieve the baked ziti  and garlic bread from the oven.

Sans laughed, resting his elbows on the counter. “That’s cool, bro. I’ll run it past the boss.”

Papyrus nodded. “You should!”

Laughing, all three of you settled down for dinner. Sans began telling you a theatrical story of one of Papyrus’ adventures Underground, which ended in his brother saving the day with perfect timing. You could tell there were some embellishments, but Sans spun a tale of heroism, which Papyrus jumped in to add his own personal perspective.

Seeing how much Sans and Papyrus loved each other made you smile.

The entire apartment readied for bed happily. Wearing a pair of super comfortable sweatpants and one of Sans’ spare hoodies, you heard his faint voice call to you from across the hall. Poking your head out of your room, you spied Sans standing in Papyrus’ doorway.

“It’s story time. C’mon, you’re being summoned.” Sans said, holding out a battered book to you. Grabbing the book, you vaguely noted that it was about knights, you went into the bedroom. Papyrus was in his bed, all wrapped up like he had been on the first night of being in the apartment.

“Ah, good! You’re here!” Papyrus said, tugging his blanket up higher to his chin. “We can begin now.”

You felt warm inside whenever Papyrus asked you to join in on story time. Story time always felt like a very personal and intimate time between the skeleton brothers; so the fact that you were allowed to join made you feel so…wanted and involved.

Papyrus, as usual, fell asleep a little more than halfway through the story. Sans quietly closed the book, and placed it back onto the bookshelf. Offering you his arm, you linked arms and quietly left Papyrus to sleep.

“You’re next, babe.” Sans said, gently nudging you towards your bedroom. “Bed.”

A part of you wanted to sleep in his bed with him again, but you weren’t sure how to ask. It probably was too soon to be sleeping in his bed every night. With his nightmares, he might want his personal space when he sleeps. You didn’t want to push any boundaries too soon.

You got into bed, giggling when Sans threw your blanket over your head. He tucked the edges of your blanket tightly around you at some spots, which made you blush. He was too cute. You snuggled into your nest, a content smile on your face.

“Thanks, bone boy. You’re too sweet to me.” You sighed, leaning up so your forehead could brush against Sans’ He nuzzled you for a moment before pressing a kiss to your forehead and then doing down and kissing you on your lips.

“Never too sweet.” Sans whispered, giving you another small kiss. “I don’t mean to cavi- _tease_ you, but it’s time for sleep. You’ve got work tomorrow, remember?”  

Groaning, partially at the pun and partially at the reminder of work, you nuzzled back into your pillows. Sans ran a hand along your cheek, pressing the hardness of his bone against the warmth of your cheek.

“Night.” Sans said, going towards the door.

“Night.” You called back. “Wake me if you need me.”

Turning back to watch you for a moment, Sans smiled softly. That was just like you, to make sure he knew that you were still here for him.


	17. Grocery Shopping and Drinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

_**Chapter warnings: past/slight alcohol abuse** _

You and Toriel were out at the grocery store, shopping together. Ever since Tori told you that some of the other shoppers would bother her, you opted to shop together. No one bothered your friend when you stood by, death glare aimed at their bigoted faces.

“He’s managed to get ketchup stains on almost _everything_.” You moaned, reaching up to one of the highest shelves to get a bottle of extra strength special stain remover. “I found ketchup on the bathroom curtains. The _bathroom_! Who drinks in the bathroom?”

“Maybe he drank it in the bath, like a glass of fine wine.” Toriel snickered, pushing her cart down the aisle.

“Yes, I’ll have your finest bottle of Heinz.” You imitated Sans’ deep tone. “Number fifty-seven, will expire in two months, please.”

Toriel and you began to laugh loudly, pushing your carts into the next aisle. An older woman shot you, mostly Toriel, a sneer. You glared at her, trying to come off as intimidating as possible. The old biddy quickly turned her head and went back to her shopping.

That’s right, go mind your own business.

You put a few 114 ounce jugs of ketchup into your cart, hoping that the cashier wouldn’t think you were insane. You were surprised you could buy this much ketchup, but you weren’t complaining. Boxes of pasta, milk, bread, pastries, hot sauce, more ketchup, and other cooking and baking necessities soon filled your cart. You had even found a cute little skeleton skull shaped timer that was in the clearance aisle from Halloween. You couldn’t pass that up, so in the cart the little skull timer went.

Just as you were about to head over to the checkout lines, a vaguely familiar laugh caught your attention. Peering towards the frozen pizza section, you spotted a familiar looking monster. You swear, you knew her. She was tall, with flaming red hair and shiny blue scales.

“Hey Tori, how do we know her?” You asked, wracking your brain for the answer. You weren’t too great with faces and names. You’d been meeting so many new monsters and people these past few months; you were having a tough time keeping track of everyone. Toriel peered into the aisle and began to snicker.

“That is Undyne. She went to the movies with us, if you recall. Her girlfriend is Alphys.” Toriel said, smiling at your horrified face. How could you have forgotten the beautiful and loud Undyne?! You knew the name rang a bell when MK asked Frisk if you had met Undyne. You felt horrible! No one likes to be forgotten.

“This conversation never happened.” You blushed, very embarrassed. Toriel nodded, assuring you that your secret was safe with her. Toriel pushed her cart down the aisle, calling out to Undyne, who spun around and smiled at the goat-monster.

“Goat-momma!” Undyne shouted at the sight of the two of you. “And bone-daddy!”

_B…Bone daddy?_

Toriel shot a smug look your way, silently telling you not to question the strange, but semi-flattering nick name.

Undyne excitedly stormed over to you, her hand basket, which was filled with protein powder and seaweed rolls, swinging violently from the crook of her arm. People cowered and leapt to get out of her way, parting like the Red Sea.

“How’s it hanging?” Undyne asked, leaning heavily against the edge of Toriel’s cart.

“We are well, Undyne.” Toriel promised, smiling fondly at the now retired royal guard. “And yourself? Alphys?”

Undyne beamed at the mentioning of her partner. “We’re great! Alphys is working on getting her PhD accredited up here, so she’s in hog heaven in all these fancy labs.”

The three of you spoke for a while and were just striking up ideas about when the entire group could get together again when Undyne’s cell phone rang. It was Alphys, asking where she and the snacks were. Apparently they were having an anime marathon, and the fish-monster had only run out to the store to grab some snacks for their marathon.

Bidding you goodbye, Undyne practically flew out of the store, ecstatic to watch anime.

“She’s got dedication.” You couldn’t help but chuckle as you and Toriel finally made your way to the checkout counter. The cashier was very nervous around Toriel, but as soon as the goat-monster smiled at them, they became putty in her hands. Toriel had that effect on most people. She gave off his aura of serenity and kindness.

Only true scumbags could be mean to your Toriel.

The two of you had taken one car, Toriel’s minivan, to save on gas. You heaved the bags into the trunk while Toriel went to return the shopping carts. Once everything was settled, you both got in the van, turned up the radio, and sang along the entire way home.

You texted Papyrus, who was watching Frisk along with Sans, telling him that you and Toriel would be home soon and would appreciate some help carrying in the groceries. Papyrus responded with a picture; both thumbs up and a huge smile on his face. Frisk and Sans were in the background, covered in what looked like glitter glue.

Huh…you wondered who was taking the picture.

By the time you made it home, all three of them were waiting outside the front doors to greet you. Papyrus and Frisk chased after the van as Toriel parked, playfully knocking on the windows. Toriel giggled, unlocking the trunk to retrieve the grocery bags.

“Didja get the goods?” Sans asked gruffly. Snorting, you pulled out one of the giant tubs of ketchup and shoved it into his awaiting hands. Sans began to jokingly whisper sweet nothings to the tub, petting it as if it was a purebred cat.

Frisk tugged on your coat and pointed at Sans. ‘ _Uncle is weird.’_

“Yup.” You sighed, watching Sans continue to sweet talk the ketchup jug. “That he is.”

_‘You chose him. Out of all the other people.’_ Frisk gave you a deadpan look, as if judging you for your questionable choice in a romantic partner. You shrugged, smiling sheepishly down at the small kid.

“That I did, big boss.” You said, sighing when Sans _shrieked_ when he realized that you had bought more than one massive jug of ketchup. “That I did…”

With all the bags brought up into the correct apartments, Toriel and Frisk went to go put their groceries away while you, Sans, and Papyrus went into your own apartment to do the same. Papyrus had cleared out a whole cabinet just for his various pastas, and was delighted to see the new shapes of pasta you had gotten him.

Sans pulled a few bottles of hot sauce out of a bag. “Thanks!” He said, twisting the cap off of the bottle. Papyrus shot you a very nervous glance. He slyly waved for you to leave the kitchen. The tallest skeleton brother followed you out and met you in the living room.

“Hot sauce affects my brother in ways it does not to humans.” Papyrus said, wringing his gloved hands nervously. “The same way alcohol does.”

“Oh.” You said, surprised. “Well, your brother is an adult. He can drink in this apartment if he wants to.”

Drinking wasn’t a crime, after all.

“It is…just…Sans _had_ a…problem in the past.”  Papyrus said nervously. You glanced back towards the kitchen, just in time to see Sans chug down half a bottle of hot sauce.

“Should I go take that from him?” You asked, feeling horrible. Here you were, attempting to help Sans, and you bring home something that he struggles with. You felt like you had dragged Sans down.  

“No, but we should watch him.” Papyrus said seriously, much more serious than you’d ever seen him. “Make sure he doesn’t…over do it.”

Frowning, you cautiously walked back towards the kitchen. Sans had finished one of the bottles of hot sauce already, the empty glass container sitting in the sink. Sans stared at the grocery bag containing the other bottles of hot sauce, as if contemplating if he should drink another.

“H-hey!” You said, hoping to distract him. Were you overreacting? “Do you, uh, wanna watch a movie or something?”

Sans agreed, seeming a little more perky than usual. His grins seemed to come a little more easily, if not sloppier. His gait was a little jaunty, not stumbling or anything. He sat on the couch, patting the cushion beside him.

“What was that TV show you were talking about earlier? Could we watch that?” Sans smiled up at you, his eyes trained on your face. You curled up at his side, flicking a few buttons on the remote control to get the correct television show to start playing.  

You heard Sans snap his fingers, but you paid no mind to it. It wasn’t until you heard the sound of liquid being guzzled that you glanced towards Sans. He must have used his magic to summon another bottle of hot sauce from the kitchen, and was drinking.

“Sans.” You said, catching his attention. “Wouldn’t you rather have ketchup? Coffee?”

Shaking his head, Sans had the decency to look a little guilty. Screwing the top back onto the bottle, Sans placed it firmly on the table. You curled back into his side, growing slightly more worried.

Sans sighed, eyes flickering between the TV and the bottle of hot sauce.

“I never…knew you had this issue.” You whispered softly.

Sans hummed. “I have a lot of problems.”

At least he could admit it.

“You can break up with me, if it bothers you.” Sans’ reply was so numb, so emotionless that the tone shocked you far more than the actual words.

Frowning, you looked into Sans’ eye sockets. The usual white pin pricks were gone; his eye sockets were black and completely vacant. You’d never seen his eyes look like this. Nervously, you placed your hand on his, which was faintly shaking.

“W-why would you say that?” You asked, trying to figure out the reasons behind his words. Was he upset that you had found out about his drinking? Everyone had demons, skeletons in their closet as they say, and you weren’t about to judge Sans over the past. He’d never hurt you or Papyrus. You didn’t fear him; he had never given you a reason to.

“I’ve got more problems than a math book, babe.” Sans’ response was once again emotionless. “I get nightmares back to back, I’m aware of past timelines, I’m a nervous wreck on my best days, and I used to be a drunk. _Why_ would you want a skeleton like that?”

_Ah_ …now you understood.

Sans was quiet, but he felt like he was boiling from the inside out. It was taking every ounce of his remaining sanity and magic to control his wild emotions. He wanted to cry, he wanted to _scream_ and bawl. He wanted to curl into your arms and let everything  out.

But he was scared.

He didn’t want to scare you. He feared that one day soon you’d wake up and realize that he wasn’t worth all the work. You’d think his problems were too many and too big. You’d be disgusted by him and leave. He’d be lost.

Sans’ couldn’t take you rejecting him.

So he was going to give you a clean way out. At least then it would be on his terms; kind of.

“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily, bone boy.” You said, squeezing Sans’ hand tightly. “The only thing about our situation is that you keep leaving out pieces. If you ever want to feel better, you have to let everything out.”

You noticed that Sans’ began quaking, his bones rattling underneath his clothes. The clicking and clacking sounded akin to wind chimes; chilling and slightly high pitched. Were you to comfort him, or give him space? You were unsure.

The choice was made for you, as Sans threw himself into your arms. Cyan blue tears poured down his cheek bones, soaking your shirt. You wrapped your arms around Sans as tightly as you could, rubbing wherever you could reach with a comforting motion.

“I’m not going _anywhere_.” You whispered, lips pressed against his temple. “I’m here to help you.”

Sans was sobbing so harshly that he couldn’t speak. The hard tips of his finger bones dug into your skin; one at your chest and the other clenching your upper arm. You felt horrible, and yet pleased. You knew from your own personal troubles that bottling up your emotions never worked. Sans was uncorking his bottled up emotions and you knew he’d feel better after this.

“D-don’t… _please_ don’t leave.” Sans’ voice was hoarse against your chest. His teeth were chattering, accidentally nipping at your shirt and skin. It pinched horribly, but you pushed it to the side. You were more worried about Sans right now.

“I’m here.” You whispered, squeezing Sans as hard as you could.

“Please…_________... _please_ , stay.” Sans gasped again, trying to catch his breath. “I’m n- _not_ broken…I’m trying, _I’m trying.”_

Your heart broke at his words. They were words you had once told yourself. Back when you had no one to lean on. You would make sure that Sans would never have to face his problems alone again.

“You’re not broken, Sans. You’re so strong, baby, so strong.” You whispered, clenching him to your chest. Sans’ sobs seemed to deepen at your words.

Sans could physically feel the horrendous emotions of hatred, anger, anxiety, and depression flow from his body. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was crying them out or you were squeezing them out; but either way he was feeling elatedly relieved. He had thought for the longest time that he’d be forever depressed and anxious.

The realization that happiness was possible, and feeling true contentment for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, was earth shattering.

 “T-thank you…” Sans said, his sobs slowly quieting. You refused to let up your grip on him, nuzzling your cheek against his.

“No thanks.” You smiled, kissing Sans’ cheekbone. “This is what partners do. This is what I’m here for.”

Your bright smile made him want to start crying once again.

Tears of joy.


	18. Back To Work and Motorcycles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

After Sans settled down, he was exhausted. The poor thing was practically boneless in your embrace. You asked him if he wanted to go to bed, and he was only able to conjure up a few murmurs which sounded like ‘okay’. Flexing your muscles, you carried Sans into his bedroom and tucked him into his bed. Poor thing was so exhausted that he hadn’t been roused by the move from couch to bed at all. He was completely emotionally spent.

You flicked the bedroom lights off, but left Sans’ door open as you stepped into the hall. You made your way into the kitchen, where you bagged up the remaining bottles of hot sauce and shoved them at the back of a high cabinet. You’d get rid of them later. You had to thank Papyrus for warning you.

“Paps?” You called, wondering where the tallest skeleton had scampered off to. You hoped that he wasn’t scared by what he saw; if he even saw or heard anything. You noticed that Papyrus’ bedroom light was on, so you quietly walked towards the door. In his bedroom, Papyrus was sitting on his bed, fiddling with his cellphone.

“Is brother alright?” Papyrus asked softly, sensing you in his doorway. You took a seat on his bed beside him and smiled weakly down at him. You were a little emotionally exhausted too, if you were being honest with herself.

“He’s going to be alright.” You assured Papyrus, who let out a relieved sigh. “It won’t be instantaneous. It might not be tomorrow, or next week, even. But he’ll start feeling better slowly.”

“Good!” Papyrus nodded. “I’m glad.”

He frowned, looking back down at his cellphone. The screen was lit up, showing a few long text messages. Papyrus tapped at the screen and scrolled down the long line of messages. “Is…is there something wrong, Paps?”

You already helped one skeleton today, why not another?

Papyrus sighed once more, a loud and suffering sound. “I feel…like dating someone.”

That wasn’t surprising. Papyrus thrived off of being around other people, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed Papyrus’ as someone special to be cherished.

“Do you have someone in mind? Do you like someone?” You asked. Papyrus nervously glanced down at his phone, pulling up his photos. He tapped through a few of the pictures before landing on an image of Papyrus and another person.

This person had shiny silver skin with strange lines coming from their eyes. They looked almost…robotic. Luscious black hair swooped over half their face, framing their angled features and glowing purple eyes. You couldn’t see much of their body, but you could tell that they’re wearing some kind of black and pink ensemble and was a few inches shorter than Papyrus. Whoever this was, they looked very familiar.

“Who’s this?” You asked, leaning over to get a clearer view of the photo. Papyrus blushed, orange burning across his entire skull. He fiddled nervously with a loose thread on his scarf.

“Mettaton.” He said quietly. You blinked, surprised. Mettaton? Did he mean _Mettaton_ from the television? The movie, TV, singing, and dancing, _star_?

“Alphys’ created him.” Papyrus divulged. “So he’s one of our friends from the Underground. He’s really _really_ busy now, but he makes special time to come see me, for I am very great.”

You smiled, seeing that Papyrus was seemingly smitten with the star. “It sounds like you really like this guy.”

“I DO!” Papyrus crowed. You shot a nervous look towards Sans’ room, which Papyrus noticed. Sheepishly, he chuckled, and thankfully Sans stayed asleep.

For a few hours, Papyrus told you all about Mettaton. You felt as if you knew this person. Papyrus had told you about Mettaton’s likes, dislikes, quirks, and pet peeves. Papyrus was so fond of this star, so smitten that it bordered on worship. 

“What should I do, ________?” Papyrus whined. You hummed, tapping your chin in thought.

“You could always ask him to hang out and tell him how you feel.” You suggested. Papyrus instantly brightened, gasping happily and began to bounce on the bed. Giggling, the movement almost knocked you off the mattress.

“Oh, thank you, dearest human!” Papyrus danced around his room. “I owe you my most deepest thanks!”

You stood and opened your arms for a hug. Papyrus slammed into you, taking you into his arms and shaking you like a rag doll. “No problem, Paps.”

Deciding the best plan of action was to take a shower and tuck in for the night, you hoofed it over to the bathroom. You rinsed away the problems of the day, scrubbing your hair and skin. Glancing at your skin, you could see the small discolorations in your skin where Sans had accidentally bitten you with his chattering teeth.

You finished your shower quickly, quietly cursing to yourself when your feet hit the freezing floor tiles. You dressed quickly, shaking from the cold. The worst part about showering in the winter was the leap you had to make from the warm cocoon of the shower to the warmth of your sleep clothes and bed!

Wrapping Sans’ hoodie around you tightly, you pulled back you blankets and curled into your bed. You shivered for a moment before you warmed up. Snug in your blankets, you fell asleep to the sound of Papyrus’ high pitched snoring coming from down the hall.

* * *

 

A cool breeze made you groan and reach for your blankets. Where did they go? Why would you kick your covers off when it was this cold? Your questions were answered when you felt someone gently tug your blanket from around you. You weren’t kicking them off, someone was pulling them off of you. Turning your head towards your intruder, you glared.

Who dared wake you from your slumber?

Sans stood at your bedside, your blanket in hand. He looked exhausted, holding up the blanket just high enough for him to slip under the covers with you. Oh, he only wanted to come sleep with you. The dark circles under his sockets were back, but not as dark as they once were. He looked like he had been put through the ringer a few times. 

“Hey.” Came your whisper. You scooted over to give Sans a little more room in bed. Even with the extra room, Sans cuddled as close to you as physically possible. His bones were clammy, like he had been sweating through a nightmare. You pulled Sans to your side, his face tucking himself into the pit of your arm.

Thank god you took a shower, or else that probably wouldn’t be the most nicely-scented place for Sans to snuggle up to.

You wound your arm around his back, patting the bones through his tee-shirt. He wasn’t shivering, but he did move restlessly. Sans seemed as if he couldn’t find a comfortable place for his body to be in.

“Sorry…” Sans whispered, his face smushed into the side of your torso.

You hummed, too exhausted to focus on crafting a full sentence. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. Missed you. Nightmare?”

Sans blushed, hiding his face in your side. “Y-yeah…just wanted to make sure that you…you’re…you’re still here.”

“Mhm.” You hummed, pressing your lips against Sans’ skull. “Promised I would be.”

Sans smiled, reaching out to grab your free hand. You turned to face Sans, pulling him closer with that hand. His face pressed into your collar bone and one of your legs was tossed over his hip bones.

“Sleep.” You murmured, pressing your body against his. “I’ll still be here…you?”

Sans, blushing at the closeness of you bodies, felt like he was on fire. He could feel his hipbones pressing against yours; the weight of your leg that you carelessly tossed over him was warm and grounding. He felt at peace.

“Yeah, babe.” Sans whispered, pressing his teeth to your neck in a lip-less kiss. “I’ll be here.”

* * *

 

Your alarm went off early the next morning. Groaning, you pressed your face further into your pillow and wrapped your legs tighter around what they were entwined with. Confused, you glanced down to see that you had your legs wrapped around Sans’ like a snake. The two of you had gotten tangled in each other during the night.

You giggled when you noticed that some strands of your hair had tangled themselves in Sans’ ribcage as well. When you moved your head, the sharp pain of your hair being pulled made you wince.

“Woah, babe. Hold still.” Sans’ voice, harsh from sleep, rang in your ears. “I’ve got you babe, hold still for me.”

Blushing, you stilled your fidgeting. Sans fingers slid through your hair and detangled the strands from his rib bones. He smoothed out your hair and pressed a kiss to the crown of your head.

“All better.” Sans said, nuzzling your forehead. You giggled, wriggling in Sans’ grasp as his nuzzling turned into tickling. His phalanges danced up and down your skin, finding where you were sensitive and torturing you. You laughed so hard that you could feel your stomach tightening and lungs trying to catch a breath. You begged for your freedom, which Sans eventually granted.

“Good morning, babe.” Sans said, running his hands soothingly over your body. “Ready for work?”

You groaned pathetically, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Sans chuckled, sitting up and dragging you up along with him. You slumped into his arms, whining about how early it was. Far too early. Too early to human. How do you human?

“No work.” You moaned, glancing towards your closet. You still had to pick out your outfit, get yourself ready, pack a lunch, and prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally for the most likely boring day of work ahead.

“I _know_ , baby, _I know_.” Sans cooed sweetly, sensing your reluctance to wake up. “I don’t want you to leave, either.”

Frowning, you pressed yourself a little closer to Sans. “I’ll be back, bone boy. Do you want me to call out again? It’ll be no prob-”

“No, no.” Sans said, frowning. Internally, he’d like nothing more than to have you stay with him for the day. But, you needed to work. Rent wasn’t pennies and it cost money to live in these times.

“Truth be told, I’d like you to stay here.” Sans said, wagging his brow bones  at you. “But, I think I wanna be alone for a while.”

You went to respond, to tell him you didn’t mind staying home another day, but he quickly shook his head. “I’ll call you if I’m having a bad time. Pap has his day off today, so I won’t be totally a- _bone_.”

Pleased, you summoned the strength to get out of bed. You gathered your clothes for the day and went into the bathroom. You readied yourself for the day and left the bathroom with just enough time to start mentally planning what to pack for food.

You were surprised to find Sans in the kitchen, holding out your little lunch bag to you. Perplexed, you took the bag and realized that Sans had made you a lunch. No one had done that for you in a very long time. You could feel yourself getting emotional over something so small, and yet so big at the same time.

“Bye, bone boy.” You whispered, pressing a kiss to Sans’ mouth.

“Have a good day at work, babe.” Sans snickered once you pulled away. “See ya’, wouldn’t want _tibia_ ya!”

Laughing, you left the apartment and went off to work.

* * *

 

Sans lounged around the apartment. He read a few books he’d been meaning to read for the last few months. He still felt sad, but not as erratic or lost as he had once felt. Sans was very thankful that you had helped him last night. He was still a little nervous that you would one day leave, but Sans knew that he had to trust you. He had to believe that you would stay and be there for him.

Not wanting to bother you much, Sans only texted you once around the time you usually took your lunch break. He didn’t want to come off as clingy; even though he knew he was quickly becoming very dependent on you. You texted him back quickly, telling him to text you all he pleased; you sat at a desk answering phones and your manager didn’t mind you texting or even being on your laptop while the work flow was slow.

Attorneys’ offices were more often boring than not.

Sans’ cellphone rang a little after your lunch break. Assuming it was you, he quickly answered.

“Is this Sans Snowdin?”                                                                    

Surprised, Sans fumbled for his words. “Y-yes. Can I help you?”

“Oh, good, good! This is Deborah, the attorney from __________’s office working on your case against your previous landlord.” Miss Deb said, sounding very peppy. Sans recognized the name.

“Yes, _________ talks about you a lot. T-thank you for being so kind to my boyfriend.” Sans said, unsure of what to say to the woman. Was it rude to ask why she was calling? Miss Deb was taking his case for free, so he didn’t want to step on her toes at all.

“No thanks needed, Mister Snowdin!” Deb chuckled. “I’m calling because I need you or your brother, or both, to come into the office to nail some final points in your case before I take it to a judge.”

Nervously, Sans agreed to meet with Miss Deb within the hour. Papyrus had gone off somewhere, blushing orange and left before he could explain to Sans where he was exactly going. Sans was curious, but Papyrus usually stayed out of trouble. Usually.

Knowing his brother was a decent fighter and would call if he needed help, Sans calmly walked out of the apartment and realized that Papyrus had taken their shared car. Groaning, Sans teleported back into the apartment and grabbed the keys and helmet to his bike.

Worried about your reaction to the motorcycle, Sans had teleported back to the old apartment’s parking lot the night they moved in and drove his bike back to your apartments’ lot. He parked it behind a few other cars that seemingly never moved.

Pulling the cover off his bike, Sans smiled at the black R Nine T motorcycle. It was too expensive to own two cars, especially as a monster. Sans and Papyrus just did not have the money to keep up with two vehicles, so Sans had gone out and found a junker in the nearest dump. He, with a few small customizations from Alphys, quickly had his bike up and running.

He hoped you weren’t one of those humans that were afraid of motorcycles. It was a little dangerous for him to be driving in the snow, but the roads were plowed and well salted. He figured the roads were safe enough for a trip to the office and back.  

After a quick, and thankfully safe ride, Sans pulled into the lot of the attorney’s office. Sans pulled off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Entering the main lobby, there were three glass doors. Finding the one labeled ‘Attorney’s Office’, he spied you sitting at your desk through the glass wall and door.  

You looked a little bored, a black phone tucked between your ear and shoulder. With your free hands, you were taking down a message while simultaneously clicking around on the desktop computer that held all the schedules and appointments. Sans stood in the lobby for a few moments, just watching you.

You lifted your head, as if feeling someone watching you. You quickly spied Sans standing in the lobby and waved to him. Sans smiled, making his way towards the door. You were cute; too cute.

“Hello, can I help you?” You asked playfully with a cheeky smile. Sans laughed, tossing his helmet down on one of the waiting chairs and leaning over the edge of your desk to give you a kiss.

A pleased chuckle alerted you to someone invading on your tender moment.

Miss Deb lent on the opposite side of your desk, smirking and wagging her brows at you. Blushing, you pulled away from the kiss and sheepishly smiled at the attorney. She laughed, reaching over to pat you on the shoulder.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mister Snowdin.” Deb said, smiling at Sans and holding out her hand for a shake.

“Please, Sans works just fine.” Sans smiled, shaking hands with the kind attorney. You looked between your boyfriend and friend, confused. Deb, noticing your glance, chuckled.

“I called your man in for a little chat. Hope you don’t mind.” Deb winked playfully. You laughed, getting up out of your chair to follow the two into one of the free conference rooms where the attorneys met with their clients.

“I don’t mind for now, but watch your back.” You laughed, holding the conference room door open for Sans and Deb. “Can’t have my bone boy running off with someone else.”

Deb laughed and Sans smiled softly and blushed. He wanted to tell you that you would never have to worry about that. He’d never want to leave you. Even if there was a reset, he’d find you. Always. It seemed a little too personal to say in front of Deb, though.

“If you need any copies, files, or anything, give me a shout.” You smiled, leaving the conference room and closing the door behind you.

Deb waited until you were out of the conference room before turning to look back at Sans. “He loves you very much, you know.”

Sans, shocked, almost fell out of his chair. He hadn’t told you he loved you yet, and you hadn’t said it to him either. He’d been thinking about it a lot lately, but he had been waiting for the right time. Especially after all the tender care you had shown him the night before.

“H-how…when did he tell you?” Sans whispered.

“Ah, I see you two haven’t gotten to the _‘I love you’_ stage yet.” Deb chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. “He shows it in how he talks about you. _Brags_ about you, really.”

“R-really? Wha…what does he say?” Sans found himself blushing, but a wave of satisfaction rushed through him. You talked about him often enough for Deb to notice. He didn’t believe that he was anything to brag about; but the fact that you thought he was special enough to show boat to strangers made him feel… _important_.

“What doesn’t ________ say!” Deb chuckled. “How you’re such a hard worker, how smart you are. You’re sweet, how you take him out on nice dates, and make food he likes and surprise him every so often with very nice flowers. Oh, and how funny you are.”

Sans could feel himself heating up. He was slightly embarrassed that from all the compliments. Deb seemed to read his discomfort and decided that it was time to get to work.

Deb pulled out a thick manila folder and began going through the case with Sans. He signed a few papers, wrote out a few testaments, and shook hands with Deb. The attorney seemed incredibly pleased. Deb said that there was so much evidence packed up against their old landlord that Sans and Papyrus might not even need to show up at court. This could be done and squared away sooner rather than later.

Deb lead him out of the conference room and back towards the front waiting room where you sat. You were reading a book, lazily waiting for the phone to ring or for one of the attorneys to need your help. You lifted your head when Sans cleared his throat.

“How’d it go?” You asked, closing your book and leaning towards Sans. Smiling, he bent towards you and gave you another deep kiss. He pulled away, and you found yourself trailing after him for another kiss. Sans chuckled, a deep boom in his ribcage that made your skin tingle pleasantly.

“It went well.” Sans said, reaching out to run his fingers along the edge of your jaw. You lent into the touch, which made Sans smile.

The idea that you wanted to be around him, that you wanted him to touch you was strange to him. Most humans shied away from him. He always made the joke that humans must not have liked getting to know the _inside_ of themselves; but the rejection always bothered him a bit.

“Good.” You murmured, pressing your face into his palm. “Now, what’s with the helmet?”

Feeling himself begin to sweat, Sans scratched the back of his skull and chuckled.


	19. Papyrus and Mettaton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You had been a little upset with Sans when he revealed his motorcycle to you. Never having ridden one yourself, you had heard horror stories about fatal crashes from family and friends. Sans assured you that he was a good rider and even offered to teach you how to ride when the weather was a little warmer.

Seeing how much he loved that bike, you didn’t see a reason to pitch a fit over it. If riding made Sans happy and he was being safe, he assured you he always wore a helmet, then you had no qualms.

The next few days were quiet, but a little rough. Sans still snuck into bed with you every night. He was still having nightmares and struggling with his depression. You offered to give him the number of a therapist that was well trusted and supported monsters, but he said that he wanted to try and work his problems out without professional help. You did make him promise to talk to someone professional if his depression became too taxing.

You were sitting on your bathroom floor, clipping your nails. They were getting too long, and yet you always seemed to cut them too short whenever you clipped them. Hoping you wouldn't accidentally snip part of your nail bed off, you were shocked when Papyrus dashed into the bathroom.

“Human!” Papyrus gasped. “I must commandeer the bathroom!”

Papyrus almost ripped the bathroom closet door off its hinges. He began rummaging through the contents of the shelves, knocking bottles and tins over recklessly. Shocked, you watched from the bathroom floor.

For the first time since you’ve ever seen him; Papyrus was not wearing what he called his ‘battle body’. He was wearing a pair of red shorts, and nothing else. It looked like he had spent all morning cleaning himself and by the smell of him; he had put on _waaaaayyy_ too much bone cologne.

With a white tube and a purple box in hand, Papyrus raced up to the sink’s counter and peered into the mirror. Ripping open the box, he began sticking little transparent strips all over his body. When the box inevitably became empty, Papyrus screamed and tossed the box into the hallway. He picked up the tube, squeezed it, and began to rub the white cream all over his bones.

“Pap, what are you doing?” You weren’t sure you really wanted to know.

Letting out an aggravated sigh, Papyrus’ reflection in the mirror looked your way. “Trying to make my bones glistening white for my date! I need to dazzle!”

“…Papyrus.”

“ _Whaaaaaaaat_?!” Papyrus groaned, smearing the cream over his cheeks.

“Please tell me those aren’t teeth whitening gel and strips…”

Papyrus’ silence was enough of an answer for you.

“Sans!” You called, standing and placing your hand on Papyrus' quaking shoulders. “Come here!”

You started to peel off the white strips that Papyrus had sporadically placed on his body. He looked downtrodden, like a little puppy that had his favorite chew toy taken away. You could hear shuffling coming from Sans’ bedroom, signaling that he was slowly inching his way to the bathroom.                                                         

“Paps, did you take a shower today?” You asked, grabbing a spare wash cloth and running it under warm water. With the damp rag, you began to wipe the whitening gel off of Papyrus’ arm bones and face.

Papyrus nodded.

“Then you are already clean and dazzling enough!” You said, gingerly peeling away a whitening strip that was adamant about sticking to the bone between Papyrus’ eye sockets. He winced when the strip was pulled away.

“But…but, ___________!” Papyrus whined, stomping one foot. “Mettaton is so shiny and dazzling. My bones are all _dull_.”

You frowned, surprised. Papyrus always described himself with words akin to great, amazing, fabulous, and glorious. To hear him talk negatively about himself was like hearing a kitten cry. It wrenched your heart.

“Your bones are nice, Paps.” You said, cleaning the last of the gel off. “Who told you that they weren’t?”

Papyrus frowned. “On the television! The woman said that teeth were like bones and no one wanted yellow teeth and that only the purest of white would do!”

Frowning, you looked at Papyrus’ reflection in the mirror. At first glance, his bones were white, but when inspected further you realized that they were the exact shade of ivory. Like beautiful piano keys.

“I think your bones are nice, Paps.” You calmed him. “You never said you disliked your bones before you watched that show. You can’t let some goon on television tell you what to like about yourself, kay?”

Papyrus smiled, it was a small smile, but it was a smile none the less.

“You two havin’ a party in here without me?” Sans said, finally shuffling into the bathroom. “Am I the last one to be invited?”

“Don’t worry, brother! No one is invited anywhere before the great Papyrus!” Papyrus said, his usual energy returned.

Sans grinned, leaning against the porcelain rim of the bathroom sink. “Awh well, I can’t raise a _sink_ about that.”

“SAAAAAANS!” Papyrus screamed, covering his face with his hands.

* * *

 

That evening, Papyrus was standing by the main doors of the apartment. He was fidgeting like crazy, constantly adjusting the collar of his button up shirt or trying to pat out the invisible wrinkles in his pants.

“You look great Papyrus. Stop fussing.” Sans said, leaning against one of the wooden benches that were placed in the main lobby. “Who are you meeting, anyways?”

You frowned when Papyrus froze. Was it a secret that he was seeing Mettaton? Papyrus had divulged to you that Mettaton was taking him out to this new and very expensive restaurant in the fashion district of the city. Sweat began to bead on the skeleton’s skull and Sans’ white pin pricks in his eyes faded to black.

“Pap…who are you meeting?” Sans asked in a deadly whisper.

Before Papyrus could utter the name, a luxurious hummer limousine pulled up outside the apartment building. It was sleek black, with giant wheels, and a bright neon pink heart on the door.

“Oh no.” Sans moaned. “ _N o,  P a p,  n o.”_

A smartly dressed chauffer exited the vehicle and opened the door. With a flourish, the chauffer gestured for Papyrus to enter the hummer limo. It was a little over the top, but Papyrus seemed to be star struck by the vehicle.

“Get outta here before your brother ruptures a nerve.” You smiled, glancing worriedly towards the frozen Sans. “Have a good time.”

With a promise to take pictures, Papyrus ran out of the main door and vaulted himself into the car. You heard laughter, one Papyrus’ and the other being slightly more deep pitched and mechanic.

“Did you know it was Mettaton…?” Sans’ voice was hoarse as he watched the limo pull away from the curb. You snorted. He was acting like his brother was driving away in a hearse instead of a hummer limo.

“I didn’t know it was a secret.” You shrugged. “What’s so bad about Mettaton?”

Growling, Sans stomped back to the elevator with you trailing right behind him. “Baby, c’mon! He’s ecstatic! Tell me why you’re upset.”

Mashing the button to your floor, Sans let out another aggravated growl. “Mettaton…is the most self-centered, rude, ungrateful _piece of scrap metal_ to ever be birthed from the Underground. He’s so pompous and…and…”

You stayed silent, waiting for Sans to finish his tirade.

“And he’s gonna hurt Pappers.” Sans sounded broken. You wound your arm around Sans’ shoulders and tugged him to your side.

“Papyrus sees something in this guy. Let’s hope for the best, alright?” You murmured, leading Sans to your apartment door when the elevator doors opened. He groaned, still unhappy.

Tossing himself onto your living room couch, Sans moaned. “If he hurts Pappers, even once, can I dunk on him?”

You kissed him soundly, pulling away with a fond smile. “Of course you can baby, whatever you want.”

* * *

 

You weren’t expecting to meet Mettaton any time soon. Maybe if the first few dates went well, Papyrus would bring him home for you to meet.

Which is why you were surprised when you awoke the next morning to find Papyrus and the man from the picture, Mettaton, sitting at your kitchen breakfast bar.

You had pulled yourself from Sans’ arms and trotted to the kitchen to make yourself a huge cup of heavily caffeinated tea when you came across the happy couple. They were giggling, touching each other’s forearms and smiling.

“My, my, what do we have here?” You slyly asked, cherishing the orange blush that crossed Papyrus’ cheek bones. Mettaton faced you with bright purple eyes and a massive smile.

“You must be the darling __________ my Pappy has been raving about!” Mettaton smiled, his voice metallic and sweet. “I’m Mettaton. I assume you’ve heard of me.”

 _Pappy_?

“Papyrus has told me a lot about you.” You smiled, stepping further into the kitchen to fix yourself some tea. “I’m assuming the date went well?”

“Oh, yes!” Papyrus gushed. “We came back here after, and we’ve been up talking since!”

You were once again surprised. Papyrus was usually tucked in and asleep around nine-thirty or ten; and yet he stayed up the entire night talking to Mettaton. If the little glowing orange hearts in his eye sockets were anything to go by, Papyrus was already head over femur for Mettaton. 

“I’m glad you had a good time.” You smiled. Mettaton blushed, a bright pink glow across his metal cheeks. The cyborg coughed, quickly pushing down his blush.

“So, tell me about yourself darling, which movies and shows of mine are your favorites?” Mettaton asked, striking a lounging pose on the barstool. You chuckled, thinking that he was joking, but his unwavering gaze told you that he was serious.

“Oh, _uhhhm_ …” You said, wracking your brain for some of the titles that Mettaton starred in. You quickly rattled off a few movies and a TV show that Papyrus had claimed were his favorites. You didn’t want to be rude and tell Mettaton that you haven’t really watched much of anything he starred in.

“Lovely choices!” Mettaton crooned. “You’re a darling doll!”

You blushed, unused to the flattery from a stranger. Mettaton did seem a little self-centered, but he also didn’t seem to be bad. The three of you talked for a while, and your positive opinion of Mettaton strengthened. He loved the limelight, but he seemed very lonely. It appeared that not many people saw him as someone other than his starring roles.

Maybe that was why Mettaton was interested in Papyrus. While being star stuck, Papyrus didn’t treat Mettaton like a movie star, and didn’t expect to be given fame or money as compensation for spending time with him. Papyrus spent time with Mettaton because he genuinely _wanted_ to.

The sound of someone clearing their throat _, even though they didn’t have one_ , came from the arch of the kitchen.

“Mornin’.” Came Sans’ gruff greeting. He tromped into the kitchen, grumpily turning to the keurig machine to make himself some coffee. Sliding to his side, you took the plastic coffee pod out of his hand and prepared his cup of coffee for him.

“Papyrus had a good time.” You whispered to Sans, who grunted and wrapped his arm around your waist. “And Mettaton’s been very kind.”

Sans grumbled a muttered “ _for now_ ”, before taking the mug from your hands, giving you a soft kiss, and stomping back towards the living room. Papyrus wilted at his brother’s grumpy attitude, and Mettaton’s eyes followed him, glowering at the agitated skeleton. Reaching out a hand, the cyborg cradled Papyrus’ jaw in his hand.

“Don’t worry, my darling Pappy.” Mettaton cooed. “How about I take you out to brunch?”

Papyrus wailed out a yes before rushing into his bedroom to change into ‘morning special date clothes’. Mettaton chuckled, picking up their coffee cups and bringing them to the sink to rinse them out.

“Paps’ been very excited to spend time with you.” You smirked. Mettaton didn’t respond, but you spied the neon pink blush that burned across his cheeks. He was practically glowing.

“I-I have been very excited, too.” Mettaton said, putting the cleaned cups into the rack beside the sink to dry.

“Will there be more dates to look forward to?” You asked nosily. Mettaton eagerly nodded and proceeded to tell you all about his date ideas. You saw the same glint of eagerness in his eyes that was in Papyrus’. Maybe that’s why they made a nice couple. While Papyrus changed, Mettaton awed you with his various date plans; dinner at fancy restaurants, day trips to local hot spots, and lengthier trips to places like Italy and Paris.

_You were sure Sans would love to hear about those trips._

“Ready!” Papyrus cheered, coming back into the kitchen wearing very bright clothes. Red running pants and a bright yellow tank top that read ‘ _Great Guard_!’ in big block letters. Mettaton chuckled cutely.

“Well, we’re off!” Mettaton said, wrapping his arm around Papyrus’ hip bones. “I hope to see you soon, ___________!”

“Why don’t you exchange numbers?!” Papyrus said. He was elated that you and Mettaton were hitting it off.

“Sounds great!” You said, rattling off your number to Mettaton, who entered your number into his high tech cell phone with a single touch. He gestured for your cell phone, and with a tap from his finger, his number was logged into your phone as ‘The Mystifying Mettaton’.

Too cute.

You waved goodbye to the adorable couple, who were giggling with each other as they raced out of the apartment. From his seat on the couch, Sans growled at the couple. They ignored him thankfully. You really didn’t feel like separating a fight.

“Sans.” You admonished him when the front door was fully closed. “Mettaton was nice and very _very_ sweet to Paps. Can’t you give him a break?”

“I’ll give him a break.” Sans promised, glowering at the television. “A few broken things.”

Sighing, you went back to your room to change into your work clothes.

Frowning, Sans slumped further into the couch cushion. He felt shitty. He didn’t want Papyrus to fall in love with Mettaton, and he certainly didn’t want you to like the bucket of bolts. If he was being honest, Sans felt betrayed. He had told you that he didn’t like Mettaton, but there you stood in the kitchen, getting buddy-buddy with him.

You came back into the living room, ready for work. You spied Sans’ slumping tiredly into the couch, his sorrowful gaze resting on his hands, which were clenched in his lap. Feeling sad, you went over and knelt in front of Sans. He glanced up at you for a moment, but quickly glanced away.

“Sans…baby…bone boy.” You cooed, reaching for his hand. With a little unwillingness, Sans allowed you to hold his hand. “C’mon, tell me what’s really up?”

“I _told_ you I don’t like him.” Sans hissed. “A-and you just…befriend him! What’s up with that?”

Frowning, you held onto Sans’ hand tighter, rubbing soothing circles into his knuckles. “He’s important to Paps, so I’m just trying to be nice. How would you feel if Papyrus was being mean to me?”

His frown slightly lightening, Sans sighed. “I’d feel bad.”

 “Mhm.” You said, leaning forward to nuzzle your face against his cheek bone. “We don’t have to like Mettaton, we just have to tolerate him for Paps’ sake.”

Yielding to your affections and leaning into the touch, Sans grumbled. “And what if he hurts Pappers?”

“Remember what we talked about last night? If he does, we’ll show him a bad time, kay baby?”

Sans smiled, nuzzling back into you. “Thanks babe.”

“No problem, bone boy.” You ran your fingers along his jaw bone. “I’ve gotta go to work. Do you need anything?”

Soundlessly, Sans shook his head.

“Okay. Don’t be afraid to text me.”

With that, you set off to work.


	20. PTSD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

When the elevator door opened, you almost ran into Toriel and Frisk who were waiting to enter the lift. The three of you hugged hello and you asked where the mother and child were going.

 _‘Costume party at school!’_ Frisk said, jumping up and down with excitement. Toriel smiled fondly down at her child, running her fingers through their hair.

“Wicked! You have any idea what you’re going to be dressed as?” You asked. Frisk thought for a moment before shrugging. They really didn’t have a clear idea of what to wear. They were hoping for something scary!  

“I was thinking something cute.” Toriel said, daydreaming about all the cute costumes that she could shove Frisk into. “Possibly a little bear, or even a crayon.”

The disgusted look Frisk shot you told you that they would be neither a bear nor a crayon without a fight.

“Good luck hunting!” You said, making your way to your own apartment. You were exhausted and prayed that Papyrus had made dinner already. The youngest skeleton brother had been rather absent from the apartment as of late; spending countless hours on dates with Mettaton. The cyborg and you had also been texting each other regularly. He was kind, and you would be lying if you said that you didn’t enjoy talking to him.

Inside the apartment, you found Sans in the kitchen, pulling a homemade pizza out of the oven. He was even using the little skull shaped kitchen timer you had gotten! The domestic vibe of the apartment made you feel so comfortable; if you weren’t hungry enough to eat a horse, you were sure you’d fall straight asleep then and there.

“Hey, babe.” Sans greeted you, setting the hot pan onto the stove top to cool. “Good day at work?”

“Boring. The usual.” You said, sluggishly sliding into the kitchen and wrapping your arms around Sans from behind. You rested your chin on his shoulder and buried your face into his cervical vertebrae.

“Boring is better than horrible.” Sans said, sliding a sharp slicer through the hot pizza. You inhaled deeply, Sans’ scent of old books, tomatoes, and musk soothing you further.

“Smells good, right?” Sans assumed you were inhaling the scent of the pizza. It was incredible, honestly, but nowhere near as nice as Sans’ scent.

“ _Mhm_. You smell better.” You hummed, exhaustion making your usual flimsy mental-vocal filters become nonexistent. Sans stiffened, a massive blue blush overtaking his entire skull. He chuckled awkwardly, reaching his arm up to pat your cheek.

“Cool your jets, babe.” Sans laughed softly. “You wanna eat?”

You nodded, feeling sleepier by the second.

“Go sit. I’ll bring you some pizza. Take a load of your _cheese_.” Sans grinned. Snickering, you smacked him on the shoulder before unwinding yourself from around him. You stumbled over to the couch and curled up into a bundle of pillows and blankets.

Sans, as promised, brought you over some pizza. The two of you ate together, and you praised Sans for his cooking. You asked why he didn’t cook more, and Sans told you that he favored baking and Papyrus took so much joy in cooking. As usual, Sans would do anything for his brother.

After dinner was finished, there was a knock at the door. It was most likely Tori and Frisk returning from costume hunting. Sans got up from the couch, opened the door, and froze.

“Don’t you love it, Sans?” You heard Toriel chime happily from the hallway. Getting to your feet, you made your way to the door. Standing in the hallway were Toriel and Frisk, the latter of the two was dressed up as a chic little vampire. The pointed cape was wrapped around their little body, just like Dracula’s. Fake plastic teeth clinked at you playfully as Frisk looked up at you with big red eyes.

“Woah! Are those colored contacts?” You asked, kneeling down to Frisk’s level. The little vampire nodded, batting their eye lashes at you. You had to admit, Frisk was a convincing little vampire.

Frisk glanced at Sans, who had yet to utter a word. ‘ _Uncle? Like my costume?’_

Sans remained frozen. He was like a statue, but if you listened closely you could hear his bones faintly rattling under his clothes. Sans’ jaw was clenched tightly, and you realized that Sans teeth were not exactly like a humans; his teeth were a little pointy around the canines. 

“Sans?” You called, gently placing your hand on Sans’ shoulder.

“C-Chara…” Sans became rigid, and his left eye began to glow and flicker. Blue-yellow-blue-yellow…

“Sans?” Toriel asked worriedly, grabbing Frisk by the collar of their cape and pulling them behind her. Frisk looked extremely upset, looking at Sans with watery eyes. Sans’ breathing became shallow, as if he had just run a 5k marathon. Faster than you could comprehend, Sans slammed the door in Toriel and Frisk’s faces.

“Sans!” You shouted, surprised. Why the hell was he acting like the grim reaper himself was outside your door step? Streaking into the kitchen, Sans ripped open every drawer he could get his bones on and began collecting all the knives.

“Sans!” You called again, hoping he’d stop and respond.

Shoving all the knives into a plastic bag, Sans began to mutter to himself. “R-red eyes…it’s Chara, red eyes. Chara’s here. _H E R E_ !”

You quickly grabbed Sans’ arm, yanking the bag of knives away from him. “There’s no more Chara, remember? Frisk said they’re gone and gone for good!”

“No!” Sans bellowed. “I saw!”

Suddenly, Sans’ became even more terrified. The rapid flickering of his eye doubled to a flashing beacon of blue and yellow. He was beginning to scare you. Like a flash, Sans was upon you. Sans’ hands were mapping out your face and running along the entire length of your body, as if he was checking for injuries.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry babe.” Sans whispered brokenly. “I let Chara near you; so close to you babe. I’m sorry. I’ll protect you, babe, I promise.”

“S-Sans I’m fine.” You said, reaching out to cup Sans’ cheekbone. “There is no more Chara.”

Sans either didn’t hear you or chose to ignore you.

“Chara will _n e v e r  g e t  t h a t  c l o s e  t o  y o u  a g a i n ._ I love you, I love you, _I  l o v e   y o u_ …” Sans voice became deeper and darker, wrapping you tightly in his arms and squeezing. Your heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and you could feel yourself burning up.

He loved you…

Sure, he said it during a terror-crazed rant, but he still said it.

Sans swept you into his arms and ran into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind him. He jumped into the tub, holding the back of your skull protectively. With you settled in his lap, Sans pulled out his cell phone and hit the first speed dial.

Holding the phone to the side of his skull, Sans groaned when whoever he was calling didn’t answer. He called the number three more times before he chose to leave a voicemail.

“Papyrus, g e t  h o m e  n o w.” Sans voice went deep and dark again. You yanked the phone away from Sans’ and tucked it to your own ear.

“Hey Pap, it’s __________, everything’s alright over here. Sans is just joking around. Don’t worry, enjoy your date.”

Clicking the phone off, you turned towards Sans. His grip on you had tightened, and he had begun to rock the two of you.

“Sans, I know you’re scared, but I need you to look at me.” You said, cupping Sans’ chin. The skeleton glanced your way. The pin pricks of his eyes were gone; that fearsome blue-yellow flickering light was still flashing from his left socket.

Sans reactions were reminding you a lot of post-traumatic stress disorder. His nightmares, anxiety, and this episode, which you were going to consider to be a flash back… Something set your boyfriend off, and you had to make an educated guess as to what.

“You said Chara possessed Frisk, right?” You asked. Sans nodded robotically. “Was it what Frisk was wearing?”

Shaking his head slowly, Sans whispered. “R-red eyes.”

“Bone boy, those were colored contacts.” You soothed your boyfriend, wiggling your way out of his lap to kneel in front of him. “Frisk is going to a costume party dressed as a vampire, and in a lot of human movies vampires have red eyes.”

Sans took a shaky breath, his bones rattling. His eye stopped flickering to become a steady neon blue glow, and even that was slowly fading. Sweat began pouring down his skull and Sans moaned.

“Oh God, what’s wrong with me?”

You leapt forwards, wrapping your arms around Sans as he shook and sobbed. You let him unbottle his emotions and come back to reality by himself. He would come back to you when he was ready.

“You’re alright, Sans.” You whispered, rocking him against your chest. “Your brain reacted because you were scared.” 

A broken sob. “I don’t want to be scared! I don’t want these nightmares and I’m tired of being paranoid all the time! Everything’s alright now; so why can’t I be alright?”

Your heart wrenched in your chest. “You will be, Sans. You’ll be alright.”

You placed your hand at his chest and began to calmly rub his sternum. Before you understood what was happening, Sans’ blue glowing soul had manifested before you. With a pop, your own green soul materialized out of your chest to float before Sans’.

Sans cries quieted as he stared in awe at your floating souls. Their combined light, a bright teal, illuminated the dark bathroom. His arms were wrapped around you now, bones pressing tightly against your skin. Sans shook every so often, but the tremors had stopped for the most part.

“Frisk…I need to apologize.” Sans muttered, resting his face in your shoulder. When he spoke, his teeth raked gently against your skin.

You nodded. “In the morning, we’ll go over. It’s too late now.” You said, unsure of how long the two of you had spent curled up in the bathtub. If your aching legs were anything to go by, it had been a few hours.  

“W-we?” Sans asked shakily.

“Unless it’s something you’d want to do alone.” You said. “I understand if you want to go solo.”

“N-no…” Sans said softly, looking up at you in awe. “You’re…going to stay?”

Dumbfounded, you frowned down at Sans. “Yes. I’ve told you a dozen times. I’m not leaving, not unless you tell me to.”

A giant tremor shook Sans’ entire frame. He pressed you closer to him, inhaling deeply in attempts to contain himself. His skeletal fingers quickly tangled themselves in your hair and pulled you down for your lips to press against his mouth.

“I…I love you.” Sans whispered, voice hoarse as he pulled away. His fingers massaged the back of your head.

“I love you too.” You whispered back, still holding him tightly


	21. Getting Better and a Double Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Sans was shaky the next few days. He jolted at the quietest of noises or even the most gentle of movements. You had sneezed once in bed and Sans jumped so high you thought he’d hit the ceiling. You soothed him through each scare, sleeping with him at night and whispering ‘ _it’s alright, no more resets’_ to him when he woke up whimpering.

You had explained Sans’ frenzied panic attack and frantic phone calls to Papyrus when Mettaton dropped him off home after work. Papyrus was worried, but you assured him that many people had to get worse before they got better; and better did Sans get!

After a few days, Sans began to improve! Your little skeleton was no longer flinching at everything and even willingly left the apartment while you were at work. He had apologized to Frisk, who understood and talked to Sans about Chara- who Frisk assured was gone. Toriel took a little extra time to convince. Sans said he had told her that he had stayed up all night watching horror movies had spooked him and seeing Frisk in his costume had freaked him out. With a questioning look, Toriel accepted his apology and warned him to stay away from too many horror movies.

 You were surprised with the amount of bullshit that Sans could get away with.

You were further surprised when Sans asked you out on a lunch date during your lunch break from work. You hopped into your car, you weren’t comfortable enough to ride on Sans’ bike with him, and drove to a nearby restaurant.

The moment you took your seats, you could feel eyes on your back. Glancing behind  you, you caught eyes with a middle aged woman who was sitting at a nearby table with her small child. The child was looking towards Sans in cheerful curiosity, but the mother was sneering.

“Babe…” Sans whispered, gripping your arm. “You can’t fight everything. Let this go babe. For me.” 

Begrudgingly, you turned back around and pouted at Sans. He smiled softly, running his hand down your arm and gently running his fingers over the inside of your wrist. “It’s just you and me. Kill ‘em with kindness.”

You nodded, putting all your attention into talking to Sans and enjoying your lunch. The two of you walked out of the restaurant and Sans offered to drive back to the office. You handed over your keys and sat in the passenger seat. You don’t remember the last time you sat in the passenger seat of your own car.

Sans drove you back to your office and kissed you goodbye in the parking lot. You watched with a small smile as he adjusted his helmet and drove away on his bike. You felt like warm butterflies were fluttering away in your chest.

The next few hours of work were boring and uneventful. You watched a few episodes of Mettaton’s newest television series. At the end of the day, you calmly packed your bags, and left for home.

* * *

 

 

Mettaton, who you had become texting-friends with, had messaged you earlier to ask if you and Sans would meet up with him and Papyrus at a swanky restaurant. This restaurant, The Sky, was on the eighty-fourth floor in one of the tallest sky scrapers in the city. It was a high class joint, where people wore suits and gowns.

You said yes, knowing that neither of you were busy tonight and went straight to your closet in attempts to pull out the suit you owned from various parties and weddings that you had attended.

“Sans! Mettaton asked us to come out with him and Papyrus tonight. I told him we would, is that cool with you?” You called, knowing Sans was lounging on his bed, reading a book. He lifted his arm, giving you a thumbs up.

Sticking your head back into your closet, you sighed in relief when you found the exact suit you were looking for. It was a jet back, double button, notch lapeled suit. You hadn’t worn this suit in a while, and you hoped it would look good for tonight.

Then again, you’d be wearing it; so of course it would look good!

You set the suit and appropriate accessories aside for later.

You and Sans spent the next few hours being incredibly lazy. He continued to read while you puttered around on the internet and ate some snacks. By the time five o’clock came around, you needed to begin getting ready. You took a shower, shaved, and prepared your hair, humming an excited tune the entire time.

“Sans, are you gonna get ready soon?” You asked, hearing Sans moving around in his room. He grunted, yawned, and told you he was. Did he even own a tux? You smiled at the mental image of you in your fancy suit and Sans in his finest pair of pajamas.

Fresh and pampered, you slipped into your crisp white button up shirt before tugging on the jet back jacket. You tugged at the lapels, fixing the fabric to lie perfectly against your body. The cut of the jacket and pants accentuated your shape, and you took a moment to pose a few times in front of the mirror.

“Sans! You ready?” You called, walking out of your room and poking your head into his room. Sans was knotting his tie, the black fabric crisp against his white dress shirt and navy suit pants.

“Ready, babe.” Sans said, eyes trained on finishing the knot. When that was done, he pulled the navy blue suit jacket over his shoulders and turned to face you. He froze, his jaw clacking open in surprise. The white pin pricks of his eyes became minuscule, and slightly heart shaped if your eyes were not deceiving you, as he stared at you.

“You look wonderful…” Sans said, stepping forwards slowly. “Handsome.”

You blushed, pursing your lips. The look of awe on Sans’ face made your breathing shallow and your skin glow red. You rocked in your dress shoes, biting the inside of your cheek. This was your Sans; the sweetest damn moonbeam you’ve ever met.

“You look great, too.” You said, eyeing the snappily dressed skeleton. Sans sputtered, tugging at the lapels of his suit.

“This old thing?” Sans chuckled, a blue blush crossing over his cheekbones. “I just pulled it out of the _crypt_.”

Snorting, you went over and kissed Sans’ mouth. It was slow, sensual, calming… You’d never been kissed like this before. It felt like your every nerve was sparking and your bones were melting. You pressed yourself into Sans, his arms coming up to wrap around your waist.

The kiss became more intense, and a blue glow lit up behind your eyelids. Before you could open your eyes to see why Sans was using his magic, something soft and slick slid across your lips. It was Sans’ glowing blue tongue that you’d seen before.

Sans mapped out your lips before you opened your mouth. You gripped his coat at his ribs, digging your fingers into the fabric to try and find some sense of gravity. You felt like you were floating. Your tongue twisted with Sans’ and a battle for dominance quickly started. Just as you were about to win, Sans pulled away.

“Let’s not start something we don’t have time to finish.” Sans whispered gruffly, his breathing ragged and harsh. Running your tongue over your own lips and tasting Sans, you giggled and pressed your forehead against his.

“Sore loser.” You muttered, nuzzling into him. Sans chuckled, his hands massaging your back in big sweeping circles. You groaned, pressing yourself as close to Sans as you possibly could. Sans hummed, clearly enjoying the close quarters.

“Don’t worry, I’ll _ketchup_ to you eventually.” Sans winked, pulling away from the tight embrace. The two of you left the apartment and got into Sans’ car. You told him where you were going to meet up Papyrus and Mettaton, he looked at you in surprise.

“The Sky?” Sans scoffed, taking the correct turn. “Mettaton has something to compensate for; choosing a restaurant like that.”

“He wants Papyrus to be happy, and Paps wanted _all_ of us to go out _together_.” You tried to soothe your slightly irate boyfriend. Sans still wasn’t a fan of Mettaton, but he was doing his best to tolerate him.

Pulling up to the skyscraper, Sans handed over the keys to the valet and went over to your side of the car and opened your door. Offering you his arm, he helped you out of the car and led you inside the building. The two of you rode up the elevator to the appropriate floor, looking at the gilded building in awe. The skyscraper was glorious, a little gaudy, but made of shimmering gold and polished white marble.

The Sky restaurant was beautiful and flashy like the rest of the skyscraper. The servers wore suits and every table was impeccably decorated. The host, a sharply dressed older man, smiled at the two of you.

“Do you have a reservation?” He asked kindly. Sans shook his head, still looking around the restaurant.

“We’re meeting another couple here.” You said, elbowing Sans when he snorted at the word ‘ _couple’_. “U-uh…Mettaton?”

The host immediately perked up. “Of course! Mister Mettaton said he and his partner were waiting for another pair. Let me lead you to their table.”

The host picked up two menus and led you and Sans through the bustling restaurant. You were led to a small room that was sectioned off from the rest of the restaurant. The room was dimly lit and had a small fire place in the corner. It was cozy.

“Brother! _________!” Papyrus called from the soul table in the room. He leapt to his feet, rushing over and wrapping his arms around Sans and yanking him up to his chest. Papyrus, who was dressed in a black tux and an orange bow tie, shook his brother like a dog shakes a squeaky toy.

Sans chuckled, hugging Papyrus back just as tightly. Letting his brother go, Papyrus gave you a similar crushing hug. Pulling away from the embrace, Papyrus gasped.

“Your suit looks great!” Papyrus said happily. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, GREATLY APPROVES!”

“Glad you like it.” You chuckled, looking over to Mettaton. “Hey Mettaton. How’s it going?”

Standing from the table, Mettaton came over and gave you a hug. “Wonderful darling, wonderful! Let me take a look at you! Oh~! Almost looking good as me… _almost_.”

You laughed at Mettaton’s typical humor. Sans hummed, attempting a half-assed smile.

“And Sans, you’re looking very dapper!” Mettaton said. It was pretty apparent that the cyborg was also attempting to be polite. Sans thanked him, mumbled something about him looking good as well, before taking a seat at the table.

Dinner went very well, and within the first hour the uncomfortable aura that circled Sans and Mettaton dissipated. Sans even laughed at one of Mettaton’s jokes! The food was incredible, and you found yourself stealing a few bites of Sans food; and he yours.

After dinner, everyone ordered a cup of coffee or tea, and continued to talk. Mettaton was about to go on tour for his latest album, and Papyrus was a little put out by the idea of being separated  from his boyfriend. Mettaton was quick to cheer him up with a soft touch to his hand and a calming coo.

Sans hand started out on the back of your chair, but through dinner it coasted to your shoulder, and then down to your back. The feeling of Sans’ smooth bones against the warm fabric of your jacket made you shiver. Sans glanced your way, a small smirk on his face.

“It’s about time we head out.” You sighed when midnight rolled around. “We’ve got work tomorrow.”

Sans groaned pathetically into his coffee mug. Papyrus frowned and Mettaton nodded in understanding. “Will you be going home Papy, or staying?”

An orange blush crossed Papyrus’ cheeks as he began to nervously tap his fingers on the tabletop. Sans grimaced. He didn’t like to imagine his brother, his baby brother, going home with a partner. _Eugh_!

Papyrus ended up opting to ride home with you and Sans, causing a pout to cross Mettaton’s metallic features. They were cute, _too cute_ in Sans’ opinion. You and the skelebrothers rode down the elevator together; not before Papyrus and Mettaton shared a long, passionate goodbye smootch. When the three of you stepped outside into the chilly air to meet the car valet, Papyrus cleared his throat.

“Thank you, brother.” Papyrus said quietly as the valet was bringing around the car. “I know you and Metta don’t see eye to optic.”

“He’s not who _eye_ imagined you being with.” Sans said, snickering at Papyrus’ frustrated pout.

You couldn’t help yourself. “Sans, baby, that pun was so cornea.”

“It’s not a pun, it’s _eyeronic_.” Sans said, busting a gut wrenching laugh when Papyrus screamed and began shouting for the valet to hurry up before he was forced to throw himself into traffic to avoid all the puns.

You opted to drive home, seeing as Papyrus and Sans had yawned the entire elevator ride to the ground floor. Papyrus fell asleep as soon as he buckled himself into the backseat. Sans tiredly fiddled with the radio knobs before leaning back into the passenger seat.

Sans fell asleep halfway home, his soft snores somehow falling in sync with the soft-rock station that he had landed on. You smiled, driving through the city and pulling into your apartment parking lot. Saddened that you had to wake the brothers, you leaned over the center console to gently kissed Sans awake.

Grumbling tiredly, but leaning into the kiss, Sans’ eyes slowly opened. “Mornin’, babe.”

“Morning.” You teased, reaching into the backseat to gently wake Papyrus by rubbing his shoulder. Paps woke up with a deep yawn and a tired squeak.

“C’mon boys, bed.” You said, getting out of the car and holding the main apartment door open for them as they shuffled into the building. You greeted the security guard before getting into the elevator and riding up to your floor.

Once safely inside your home, you went into your bedroom to get ready for bed. You were slipping off your cuff links when the noise of your door creaking closed caught you by surprised. A pair of warm and skilled fingers slid down your chest to find the buttons of your jacket. Nimble fingers pried your suit jacket off of you before starting on unbuttoning your dress shirt. 

“Oh, I didn’t know I needed help.” You chuckled, a little flustered by Sans’ bold move. Sans laughed, his other hand smoothing over the heated expanse of your back. You felt nervous as your dress shirt slid down your shoulders to leave you bare from the waist up. You unbuckled your pants as Sans made quick work of the button and zipper. You stepped out of the pants, feeling cold and on display. 

“I was promised bed.”  Sans grumbled, hugging you from behind.

“L-let me just get a shirt.” You stuttered, blindly reaching for your closet. Sans let go of you and pulled his own shirt over his head, revealing his bare glistening rib bones. With a soft gesture to raise your arms, Sans gently slid the shirt over your head and down your bare chest.

“Thanks.” You said, wrapping your arms around Sans and kissing him soundly on his mouth.

“No problem babe.” Sans said, gently pushing you towards your bed. “I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow after work. Be prepared to ride, babe, and get a good nights sleep.”

Too tired to hear the foreshadowing in Sans’ words, the two of you wrapped around each other in a cocoon of blankets. You felt surrounded by Sans and his scent, and his touch.

It was one of the best nights you’d had in a long time.

 


	22. A Fun Ride and Beginning To Ride*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: SMUT! TRASHY SMUT! 
> 
> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

“I don’t _like_ this, I do not _enjoy_ this, and I don’t like _you_.”

Sans snorted, knocking at your helmet playfully. You frowned at your boyfriend, who was straddling his motorcycle. The snow had melted for the most part (so much for a white Christmas, eh?), and Sans thought that the roads were clear enough for you to learn to ride his motorcycle.

“When you said ride, I didn’t think you meant _this_.” You grumbled, fiddling with the zipper of the jacket. Sans had puppy-dog eye guilted you into putting on a helmet and a worn motorcycle jacket. Sans glanced up at you, his brow bone raising.

“What did you think I meant?”

“Something oh… _ugh_ …in a car?” You offered up weakly, unable to hide your blush. You’d much rather be taking a rather raunchy ride than getting on Sans’ bike.

“Just sit with me for a while, see how she runs, and then take her for a spin.” Sans said, smiling up at you with a sweet little pleading smile.

He’s starting to catch on that with _that_ look, you could never tell him no. Sans was quickly becoming a spoiled brat.

But he’s your spoiled brat.

 “C’mere, babe.” Sans said, scooting back towards the back of the saddle. Gingerly, you settled yourself onto the machine, swinging your leg over. Sans pressed up behind you and wound his arms around you. He fisted the handles, leaning over your shoulder.

“Alright, these are the handles, this is the throttle, which you twist with your right hand, and these little nubs are the light controls. Ya’ know, the high beams and your blinkers. Can you flick those on for me? Good boy, good.”  Sans muttered in your ear, grabbing your hands and trailing them over the parts of the bike as he told you what they were and what they did.

“How do you turn it on?” You asked, starting to feel a little eager.

Sans chuckled. “Right here is the ignition switch. Right over there is the engine kill switch; _emergencies only_ , alright?”

You nodded, beginning to get the feel for the bike.

“The brakes are all on your right side. Your front brake is on the right handlebar here.” Sans adjusted your hand. “And your rear brake is controlled by your right foot.” With a gentle nudge, he adjusted your foot.

“Okay.” You said, noticing a similar situation on the left side of the bike. Sans noticed your curious glances and adjusted your left hand and foot.

“This is the clutch.” He said, his hand pressed against yours. “And this by your foot is the gear shift.”

“There’s too much here.” You told Sans nervously. Could you even drive this without crashing? You didn’t have enough money to pay for bike repairs; was Sans even insured-

“Calm, babe. I’m here.” Sans hushed you. “Now, first gear is anywhere from no movement to fifteen miles per hour. Second gear is fifteen to thirty mph. Third gear is thirty to forty-five mph. I don’t think we’ll be going any further than third gear today.”

“Sans…I don’t think this is going to work out so well.” You said, not wanting to upset him. Sans was so excited when you had, a little begrudgingly, geared up in his old motorcycle gear. He was like a kid in a candy store…or like himself when you went shopping at Sams Club and he found the condiment aisle.

“Just try. Try it once, tell me you hate it, and you’ll never have to ride her again. Swear on my soul.” Sans whispered in your ear before pressing a slow kiss to the lobe. “Now, flip the kill-switch to ‘on’. Can you kick the kickstand up for me-thank you baby. Now, press that ignition switch for me.”

The machine underneath you jumped to life with a rumble. It wasn’t as loud as some other motorcycles you had heard, but the rumbling between your legs made it seem a little more intimidating. Sans laughed at your expression, pressing his forehead against the back of your neck.

“Good job!” Sans said, his hands pressed over yours on the handlebars. “Now, downshift into first gear and release the clutch slowly!”

The bike began to roll, just like a car did when it was put in drive.

“Now, I’m gonna give us a little throttle. I’m gonna keep my hands here, just in case you need me. You alright?” Sans asked, twisting the throttle a bit. The bike began to move, slowly picking up speed. You inched out of the parking lot and towards the thankfully empty road.

“Sans…” You said, inching the bike closer to fifteen miles per hour. Sans laughed, tapping his finger on the hand that controlled the clutch.

“You know how to switch gears babe. Go up one.” Sans said, which you shakily did. The machine lurched a little bit, most likely unhappy that it was being driven by a new rider. You could have sworn you heard Sans talking to the bike before you came out.

Maybe it was sentient.

You gently turned the throttle to gain a little more speed. Your back, which had been hunched forward in nervousness, began to straighten out as you gained confidence. It…wasn’t that bad. Sure, it was colder and not as comfortable as your car, but it wasn’t _bad_.

 You took the bike around a few blocks before taking the turn into the apartment parking lot. Sans hugged you tightly to him once you stopped and parked the bike in the lot.

“Proud?” You giggled, as Sans rocked you back and forth.

“So very much!” Sans said, pressing a smootch to your slightly wind burnt cheek. Laughing, you told Sans that the bike wasn’t as bad as your originally thought. Sans admitted that he was a little nervous when he first began riding as well.

When Sans revealed that he had taken his hands off of yours after the third block, you were shocked! You hadn’t even noticed! This is what those little kids whose dads let go of their bikes too early felt like. Sans hopped off the bike, offering you his hand to help you.

“You’re lucky I didn’t crash and burn.” You said, prodding Sans side as you got off the bike.

“You wouldn’t.” Sans promised, wrapping his arm around your waist. “Not with me.”

Heat bloomed in your stomach and traveled up your spine. With a snap of his fingers, the bike was covered and locked. The two of you walked back into the building and rode the elevator up to your floor.

“H-hey.” You said, once the two of you had entered your home.

Sans, who was on his way into the kitchen, stopped and faced you. “What’s up, babe?”

You felt unsure of yourself. What if Sans turned you down? Was he even comfortable with the idea of a physical relationship? You had never asked, just assumed. Sans was not shy about initiating kisses or lingering touches.

“_________, are you okay?” Sans asked, stepping closer to you.

“Y-yeah, babe, yeah.” You said, glancing towards your bedroom. “I ah.. _umh_..woo, this is…ah…awkward.”

Sans, a giant smirk on his face, came closer.

“You need help getting that jacket off?” Sans asked, running his hands over the shoulders of the padded motorcycle jacket. You nodded numbly, feeling your breathing start to pick up. Please, let Sans take the hint.

Sans grasped your zipper, and walked, which forced you to walk backwards. Your boyfriend lead you into his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. Tugging the zipper down the track, Sans gently pushed the jacket off of your shoulders. It hit the floor with a _thump_ , and the two of you were left staring at each other in silence.

“Is…this alright?” Sans asked, stepping closer and cupping your cheek.

Swallowing nervously, you nodded. “Yeah, just…I’m nervous.”

Sans chuckled. “That’s alright. I am too…we’re safe though, yeah. You wouldn’t hurt me, and I would never… _never_ hurt you.”

For all your confidence, you did not feel comfortable going… _all the way_ …with Sans yet. You loved him, he would never hurt you, but you didn’t feel fully ready. You wanted nothing more to be with him, feel him, touch him, taste him…but nothing more. You began to feel a little nervous; you hoped Sans wouldn’t be upset.

The warmth that was in your stomach began to grow. “I don’t want to..go.. _uh_ …”

“You don’t want a full fledged trip to the bone zone, alright.” Sans said, tucking his hands under your shirt and sliding them up your back. “Would you like…to do some other things?”

Relief flooded your entire body, igniting the fire that was inside of you. “Yes, please!”

Sans leapt at you, his teeth clacking against yours. You moaned, snaking one arm around his neck, the other slinking into his shirt and trailing up his ribs. His ribs, which were white with the barest hit of blue, felt smooth and strong against your skin.

“Tell me if I do something wrong, okay?” Sans whispered to your lips as he pulled away for a moment. You asked the same of him, which he smiled at and went back in for another kiss. His cyan tongue made an appearance, trailing over your lips and sliding into your mouth.

Gently, Sans pushed on your shoulders, dipping you onto his bed. He climbed atop you, his knees straddled around your waist. Tugging at the hemline of your shirt, Sans dragged the fabric up for a few inches before breaking the kiss to glance at you.

You nodded. “I’m alright. I’ll stop you if I don’t like something.”

His eyes half lidded and a dopey smile on his face, Sans tugged off your top. He pulled away to stare down at your bare chest, his eye sockets tracing the lines of your torso. With shaking fingers that were placed on your shoulders, Sans trailed his hands down your chest, teasing the skin.

The tips of his phalanges raked against your chest, down to your pectorals. Sans flicked his thumbs gently over your nipples before sliding his hands down to your stomach. You moaned, wriggling underneath his weight. He smiled, massaging your stomach and digging his fingers into the flesh. Trailing over your stomach, one hand went to your happy trail. Sans hummed, swirling his fingers around the trail of hair leading to your hemline, loving the texture of your skin as it ripple with pleasure under his touch.

Accidentally, Sans fingers trailed a bit too close to your hemline, causing you to yelp and arch into his touch. Slightly flustered, Sans watched for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what had caused your gasp. He moved his hands over your stomach and sides in similar ways, but when you did not respond the same way, Sans dragged his right pointer finger along your hemline.

You responded, trying to stifle your moan as Sans smirked, his eye sockets widening. “ _Ah_ …so that’s what does it.”

As much as he loved your little huffs and moans, he was slowly becoming addicted to those yelps and more longing moans that fell from your lips.

“S-Sans.” You groaned, pulling at the bottom of his shirt. Reluctant to be away from your skin for too long, Sans shoved his jacket off and ripped his shirt from his body. You reached up for his shoulders, running your hands down the strong bones that made up his shoulders and upper arms.

“__________.” Sans whispered, his hands going straight back to your pectorals. His fingers trailed around your nipples, causing your legs to jerk and hips to lift. Flicking one nub with his thumb, Sans used his other hand to tweak your nipple.

You let lose your most wild moan yet, urging Sans on. With his hands pressed over your head, Sans lent down and pressed his ribs to your bare chest. The feeling of smooth bone against your heated skin and hardened nipples made you groan.

This skeleton was going to drive you to insanity.

Nervously, you reached for Sans’ basketball shorts and tugged at the elastic. Taking the bait, Sans slid out of the shorts and pressed his hip bones against your clothed hips. He ground down, further igniting the fire that was billowing in your lower stomach.

“May I?” Sans purred, running his fingers over the waistband of your jeans. You thrust your hips up into his awaiting hands and nodded, breathing too heavily to form a coherent sentence.

“I need a yes or no, babe.” Sans whispered, leaning down and licking a trail along your collarbone and up your neck.

Shivering, you thrust into his hands once more. “P-please, yes, please!”

Unbuttoning your jeans, Sans gently tugged the denim from your body. He left your boxers on, reaching down to cup you over the quickly tenting fabric. “Do you want me to leave these on?”

Biting your lip, you took a minute to think. While you were feeling amazing, you knew you were reaching the limits of your comfort. You nodded, and Sans smiled a sweet smile. Trailing his fingers over your cheek, Sans whispered: “Alright babe, whatever you want.”

Leaning back over you, Sans ground against your pelvis, his bare bones rubbing deliciously against your cock through your underwear. One of his hands went back to your pecs, switching between the muscles and teasing your nipples.

“Can I…show you what I have for you?” Sans asked shyly, pulling away once more. Glancing down at his bare hip bones, you looked up at Sans nervously. He was a skeleton, he didn’t have any genitals made of flesh, obviously. You were curious.

“If that’s alright with you.” You whispered, choking back another moan as the inside of Sans’ femur brushed against your overly sensitive sides. Sans smiled and nodded, closing his eye sockets for a moment.

With a deep breath, Sans opened his eyes. His right socket was pitch black, his left glowing the steady and calm cyan blue. The glow slid down his spine, swirling erotically across his bones before settling in his hips. The blue glow centered between his legs, where a human penis would be, and slowly began to form a cyan cock.

It was a decent length, a little less than seven inches, and had a mouthwatering girth. An opaque pearl of precome was beading at the tip and you could not fight the urge to reach down and touch. Sans groaned as you grasped him, lightly trusting into your hand. His cock was smooth, like velvet covering glass. It was heavy in your hand, and Sans groaned when you gave the cock an experimental squeeze.

“Here, baby, here.” Sans whimpered, gently pulling your hand away from his cock. “I’m gonna make us feel good, okay?”

Curious, but trusting Sans to not push your boundaries, you willingly let go of his dick and laid back onto the bed. Shifting a little closer to you, Sans pressed his hips against yours. Where there was once nothing, Sans’ cock now pressed against yours through your boxers. With a gentle thrust, his cock dragged over your underwear, brushing over your throbbing erection.

Gasping, you held onto Sans ribs and thrust up into his hips. Why hadn’t the two of you been doing this sooner? This was wonderful. Sans began to pick up the pace, his movements becoming gentle humping.

“ _Saaaahhhns_ …” You couldn’t hold back the groan, tossing you head from side to side. The fire in your stomach was beginning to coil. You felt your skin tightening and the fabric of your boxers becoming tighter.

“____-_______..” Sans moaned, the tempo of his hips speeding up. Your hips began moving along with his, the friction of his cock rubbing along yours causing you to become a moaning, drooling, writhing mess.

 _“F u c k !”_ Sans gasped, his thrusts becoming hard. “ _A m I g o n n a  m a k e  y o u  c o m e ?”_ His hands, which were on your hips, gripped you harder. He jerked your hips to meet his, taking full control of your movements. The coil inside you was beginning to twister out of control, but you were unsure of how to tell Sans.

“S-Sans, _yes_ , Sans…I…I feel…so good.” You managed to moan out, desperate tears coming to your eyes. You needed a release and you needed Sans to give it to you.

Just as you were about to beg for release, the coil inside you sprung. Your orgasm came hard and fast, your come wetting the crotch of your boxers. Arching your back until it cracked, you let out a wild moan and your grip on Sans’ ribs tightened. His bones began to rattle, sounding like marbles clacking together.

A few seconds after your release, Sans found his with a final thrust. His cum hit your hip, pooling in the dips of your muscles, bone, and skin. Panting for a few moments, Sans fell onto the mattress besides you. His ribs heaved, and he raked one shaky hand down your quivering torso.

“B-babe…” Sans whispered, kissing you and nuzzling your face. “Thank you…”

You hummed, leaning into the loving touches. “Thank you.”

“You’re comfortable, right?” Sans whispered, as if speaking too loudly would break the atmosphere. “I didn’t go too far, right?”

Shaking your head, you raked your nails down Sans’ exposed spine. “No, it was perfect. You alright?”

Sans smiled, glancing down your body shyly. His smile became softer and eyes became dreamy at the image of your bodies pressed together erotically.

“Wonderful.” Sans sighed, wrapping his arm around you and resting his hand on your bare hip. Not bothering to wipe the cum from your hip, change your boxers, or pull the covers over your spent bodies, the two of you slipped off into a peaceful sleep.  


	23. A Trip With Your Person

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You were awoken a few hours later by the soft sound of Sans’ voice. You were still in his bed, hair splayed in every direction, with the remnants of both your and Sans' releases dried and blue drizzled on your hips. You didn’t feel dirty; you felt cared for and relaxed.

Glancing to Sans, you found him at his desk, naked, flipping through some papers and talking quietly into his cell phone. You caught the words ‘ _rent’_ , ‘ _daily’_ and ‘ _harassment’_ before Sans realized you were watching him.

Sans smiled at you, quickly finger-spelling out the letters _D-E-B_ when you mouthed _‘who’s on the phone?’_ to him. Huh, and people had told you that sign language was useless. It certainly came in more _handy_ than you ever thought it would.

 _Heh_ …oh god, you started making mental puns to yourself.

Sans spoke to Miss Deb for a little while longer, a pleasant tone to his voice. Nothing must be wrong; she was most likely filling him in on the case. After a few minutes, Sans said goodbye and hung up the phone.

“Is everything okay?” You asked, unwilling to leave the bed. Sans sauntered over, climbing back onto the bed. He nuzzled into you, bones pressing into skin that was quickly becoming heated with arousal.

“S’all fine, babe.” Sans soothed. “Debs going to court for us tomorrow. She’s confident that the judge will side with us.”

You hummed, nuzzling into Sans side. Tomorrow would be Saturday, and the two of you had no work this weekend. Papyrus was off running with Mettaton, trying to spend as much time with the star before he had to go off on tour.

A bright idea flashed across your mind.

“Bone boy, can I take you somewhere this weekend?”

Surprised, Sans glanced your way. “A-are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be sure?” You challenged, feeling that the underlying reason for his surprise was because of his low self-esteem. This is why you were a little nervous about getting physical. You didn’t want to force Sans to do anything he didn’t want to; or to cause him to feel uncomfortable with himself.

Sans shyly looked down at his bare feet. He was worried that you would regret the _uhh_ …well, he couldn’t call it sex exactly. You would realize that you were a gorgeous human and he was nothing but a skeleton. You would leave. He must have scared you, he told himself, all bones and glowing freak dick.

Frowning at his silence, you sat up in bed. “Sans, c’mere.”

Seeming disappointed in himself, Sans wiggled closer. Spreading your legs, Sans pressed himself against you. Sighing, you reached out and grabbed his ulnas, pulling him as close as possible. You nuzzled his ribcage and pressed a long kiss to the shivering bone.

“Would you like to come away with me?” You asked, looking up at Sans.

“Y-yeah.” Sans said, scratching the back of his skull. “Are you…really alright? I hope I didn’t scare you. I know I’m not exactly packing what a normal human is used to-”

“You did not just insult your dick.” You said, glaring up at Sans. How dare he insult your new and _very alluring_ friend. “You’re wonderful Sans, better than anyone I’ve ever been with.”

Blushing neon blue, Sans averted his gaze shyly. “Really? I don’t…look _weird_?”

“You look beautiful.” You whispered up to him, causing the blush to expand across his skull. He hummed, his arms wrapping around your shoulders in a loving embrace.

“Now that’s settled…wanna go away with me?” You winked, making your boyfriend laugh. The deep chuckle rang through his rib bones and caused them to reverberate against your skin. He nodded, still feeling a little shy.

“Cool.” You said, gently pushing him back so you could stand. “I’ll make it a surprise. Be ready to go tonight!”

“T-tonight?” Sans asked.

“Mhm! So we can spend a whole day there tomorrow and then leave Sunday night.

“__________.” Sans deadpanned, watching as you scurried out of his room and into yours to pack and figure out some hotel arrangements. “Where are we going...?”

“Don’t worry, babe. It’ll be worth it!” You chirped, pulling a small duffle bag from under your bed.

You planned on a nice, relaxing trip.  

But…you should probably put on some clothes first.

* * *

 

By the time nightfall had come, you shoved Sans into the passenger seat of your car. The luggage was in the back, along with Sans’ telescope, hidden from him as a surprise and wrapped up in one of your bigger coats.

Turning over the engine, Sans glanced your way. “Where are we going?”

Poor boy must have asked you that question twenty times. You worried that he was going to drive himself up a wall in his search. He had even lowered himself to attempting to snoop through your laptop history when you had taken a bathroom break. The only thing that kept him from discovering your secretly romantic plans was your password.

“You’ll see.” You snickered, turning on the radio to drown out Sans’ anguished moans with obnoxious Christmas music. You drove for a while, until the city lights began to dim and you rode passed the city line.

“We’re leaving the city?” Sans asked, peering out the window. “How much farther?”

“About an hour. Take a nap if you want.” You said, reaching across the bench to tug Sans’ towards you. Sighing, your skeleton lent into you, his body pressing against yours.

You drove on for an hour or so, tapping your fingers to the beat of whatever tune was playing. Sans did in fact fall asleep, sliding down the seat until his head was in your lap and the rest of his body was splayed out across the bench seat.

With one hand on the wheel, your other traveled down to rest on Sans’ skull. You ran your hand over his smooth bone for a minute or two, and Sans turned and nuzzled his face into your stomach in his sleep. Wrapping an arm around your waist, Sans managed to snuggle even closer into you in his sleep.

He was too precious for this world.

Seeing the sign for your destination, you pulled off the desolate road. The gravel road caused the car to shake and bounce, waking Sans up. He burrowed his face into your stomach and groaned, clearly not wanting to wake up. Pulling into a parking spot, you ran your hand over Sans’ back to attempt to rouse him from his sleep.

“We’re here, baby boy.” You whispered, unbuckling yourself and Sans. Sans finally pushed himself to sit up, rubbing at his sockets with his jacket sleeves pulled over his hands.

**_Too cute for this world…_ **

Smiling, you watched as his eye sockets opened and then widened in surprise. From the windshield of your car, your home for the next two days was visible, lit up with glowing fairy lights.

“What… _is this_?” Sans said, staring in awe at the green and white Victorian ranch style mansion. A sign that read ‘ _The Crooked Inn’_ was lit up with a small spotlight and the majority of the lights inside the building were on.

“This is an inn a few of the people at work have been to a few times. All good experiences.” You said, opening your door. “C’mon, lets drop off our bags.”

Confused, but knowing enough to not ask questions, Sans took ahold of his bag. The two of you hurried inside and walked up to the front desk.

A very bored looking teenage boy sat at the desk, popping bubblegum and watching YouTube videos. The heavy wooden door closing behind the two of you shook him from his bored hypnosis. Glancing up at you, the teenager smiled and opened up the inn’s roster.

“Welcome to The Crooked Inn. Do you have reservations?” He asked, grabbing a pen. You nodded and pulled out the credit card you used to make the reservations online and your I.D. card.

“Yeah, under the name______________.” You gave the desk attendant your last name. He found your name in the roster and checked you off. Handing you  a set of vintage looking keys, the desk manager said your room would be on the second floor, room E.

The room was gorgeous, decorated simply with crèmes, beiges, and light greens. You hastened Sans to toss his luggage down and follow you back out of the mansion and towards your car. Opening up the hatchback trunk, you pulled out two large blankets, one for sitting and one for warmth, and Sans’ telescope.

“My…how’d you find my telescope?” Sans asked, bewildered. You grabbed his hand and dragged him around to the back of the inn. You raced passed the small lake and pushed yourself to jog up one of the many hills that dotted the grounds of the inn. Tossing down one of the blankets and setting up the telescope, you shot Sans a smug look.

“When you were moving in, I noticed you carry it in.” You said, taking the spare blanket and holding it over your shoulders. You opened your arms for Sans to come into, feeling like a cozy owl. Sans hugged you, and you wrapped your blanketed arms around you and flopped to the blanketed ground.

Wrapped up in blankets, close enough to the telescope in case you wanted a closer look at the sky, you nuzzled into Sans embrace. The chilly air around you meant nothing with your combined body heat.

“Stargazing as a date?” Sans chuckled, glancing up at the star laden sky. It was much easier to see the stars once you got away from the bright lights of the city. “A little cliché, don’t ‘ya think?”

Noticing his playful demeanor, you jokingly knocked your forehead against his. “Oh, if you’re not having a good time, we can go.”

“Sounds good.” Sans joked, acting as if he would pull away from your embrace. “I’ll go pack the car.”

Laughing at your duel ridiculousness, your bodies managed to press closer together under the blanket. Sans lay down on his spine, dragging you along with him. Kissing his cheekbone, you followed his line of sight up into the sky.

“Cliché or not, thanks for this babe.” Sans whispered, his eyes never straying from the stars and moon. “After all I’ve put you through-”

You kicked at him underneath the blankets, your foot finding his nearest tibia. “Don’t you dare, Sans. What you’re going through, what we’re going through, is not happening because you want it to. I don’t and will never _put up_ with you or _tolerate_ you.”

Sans, frozen in surprise, said nothing as you continued your rant.

“Those words trivialize what you’re going through and what I feel for you. I love you. I love you and I’m not going to give up on you. I’m going to stay and help you because…because you’re my person.” You said, nervously grabbing his hands to fiddle with his fingers.

“What does that mean, ‘my person’?” Sans asked softly, his face so close to yours that his hot breath blew across your chilly cheek.

You sighed, trying to sort out your thoughts. “My person…it’s the person in your life that you love the most. That person makes you laugh, cry, scream, shout, and experience every other emotion under the sun. You would do anything for this person, and if anyone ever hurt your person, you’d chase whoever hurt them to the ends of the earth. You’ll stay by their side without a second thought and help them through their struggles, because they will help you. Your soul and heart beats for them and their happiness. You’re that to me.”

Sans rolled over on top of you, pressing his teeth urgently to your lips. His kisses rained upon you feverishly, and the moments that your lips were free, you could see that the pin pricks of his eyes were now the shape of little hearts and glowing neon blue.

“I love you.” Sans sobbed between hasten kisses. “My person… _my person_.”

Wrapping your arms tightly around him and winding your fingers into the bumps and valleys of his spine, you kissed him back. Sans groaned into your mouth, his tongue running along your bottom lip, begging for you to allow him entrance. His tongue quickly took control of your mouth, dominating your tongue and grabbing a handful of hair in his hands.

The two of you spent the rest of the date kissing passionately until the stars faded and the sky began to lighten. Giggling and drowsy, your date was packed up and you walked back into the inn for a few hours of sleep spent wrapped up in each other.


	24. Inn*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut! Lots of smut...literally ALL smut!
> 
> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Skeletal fingers danced along your back, tracing the faint lines of your spine. You grumbled, burying your face further into your pillow. You had fallen asleep on your stomach, you often tossed and turned in your sleep, wearing sweatpants and Sans’ jacket.

The fingers, which felt so good you believed you were dreaming of them, trailed down to your lower back, massaging you through the soft fabric of your borrowed jacket. You arched into the hands, moaning into your pillow.

“Good morning, can I take my jacket off?” Sans voice, low and filled with lust rang in your ear. You managed to open your eyes a crack and nod sleepily, wriggling out of the arms of Sans’ jacket. Sans pulled the fabric away from your body, leaving you bare from the waist up.

His hands quickly found their place at your bare back, touching the skin in big sweeping motions. Someone rubbing your back would usually send you back to sleep, but Sans’ touch always electrified your skin. He dug his distal phalanges into your muscles, earning a deep moan.  

Inching your eyes open a bit more, you realized that you weren’t home. That right; you were at the inn with Sans. The bed underneath you was a bit more firm than either of your beds, that should have been your first tip.

“Sans,” You moaned, stretching your arms and legs out. “good mornin’.”

Sans chuckled, his hands finding a hold on your bare hips and he gently tugged at the elastic of your sweatpants. You must have tugged those back on sometime in the middle of the night. The silent request was followed up with: “Off?”

You nodded, lifting your hips off the bed to help Sans slide off the pants. His hands skimmed up the backs of your legs, tracing the curve of your knee and the swell of your thigh muscles. 

Feeling Sans pull away, you turned around to lie on your back. He was pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it across the room. Looking down at you, Sans smiled softly and traced your cheek with his hand.

“You okay?” Sans asked, scooting closer to straddle your waist.

“ _Mhm_.” You said, reaching out to grab his shoulders and trail your hands down his upper arms. Sans hummed, his eye sockets lidding as he lent into your touch. His hands quickly  molded to your skin, testing different pressures of squeezing and massaging. Sometimes the touch was a little too rough, causing you to grimace and shift away, but Sans always tenderly rubbed your skin and apologized by pressing a kiss to the area.

Tilting his head down, Sans licked a strip from your throat down to your left shoulder. Wriggling from the new sensation, you bit your lip as Sans’ glowing tongue slid down your chest to circled your nipple slowly. His hands rubbed along your ribs and down, his thumbs pressing into the dip of your hip bones.

Swapping his tongue to the other side of your chest, Sans glanced up at you. You were a vision of erotica to him. Head thrown back, eyes lidded in pleasure, hands gripping the sheets underneath you. Your skin was glowing in the late morning light and your warm legs were beginning to twitch underneath him. Curious, Sans flicked your nipple with the pointed tip of his tongue, causing one of your legs to jerk a bit.

_Hmm…_

Sans wanted more, but he didn't want to scare you. Would you be comfortable with a deeper physical relationship with him? He didn’t want to push you. He was going to keep going the same pace until you told him otherwise. Sans wanted you to want it; want _him_. He playfully pulled at the elastic of your boxers before letting it go, the cloth snapping back to your skin. 

“Sans.” You said, your nipples tingling pleasantly from Sans’ administrations. “You can…take them off.”

Sans smiled, planning on teasing you and getting what he wanted at the same time. He liked having your verbal consent; and he loved you telling him exactly what you wanted him to do. Your wanton voice and flushed face made his magic and arousal fizzle in his soul.

“Take what off?” Sans asked, tugging at his basketball shorts that he still wore. “These?”

You whined, music to Sans’ ears. “Y-yeah those too, but I meant my uh…my…”

“If you want something, you need to tell me babe.” Sans lent forward to whisper in your ear. He tugged his shorts off, wriggling them down his femurs and tossing them over his shoulder. You struggled to find your words, your hips unconsciously thrusting in Sans’ direction.

“My…underwear. I want you to take them off.” You said as evenly as you could manage. A wolfish grin crossed San’s face as his hands trickled down your body, teasing your sides. Grabbing the sides of your boxers, Sans tugged the fabric down your legs. 

It made you feel a bit better that Sans was naked as well, as he pulled away to stare at you. His gaze was unabashed and filled with awe; the same way he looked at the stars. Slowly with a shaking hand, Sans traced along the inseam of where your hip met warm skin and led to your cock, the tips of his phalanges touching the soft skin for the first time.

His fingers fanned out, tracing over the engorged muscle and then down to the sensitive skin of your testicles. Sans groaned, biting at the inside of his boney cheek. Your skin was soft, so soft, like silk over velvet. You whined, shimmying your hips involuntarily. You wanted him to touch you already.

“Beautiful.” Sans whispered, rubbing his thumb along your lower lips. “Tell me what you need.”

You bit your bottom lip, looking up at Sans. Fuck, you wanted him to touch you so badly. You still weren’t ready to go all the way; but for the past few days all you could think about were his fingers. How they moved whenever he talked, or wrote, or tapped them when he was bored. You wondered how they would feel inside of you and wrapped around you; they were thinner than human fingers, after all, there was no muscle or flesh to thicken them.

“I want…your fingers. _Please_ , Sans.” You whimpered, trying to spread your legs, but his knees placed on the outside of your thighs kept your legs from doing so. Sans chuckled, slowly wrapping one hand around your aching length. The cool air hitting the sensitive head of your dick made you whine and thrust your hips towards Sans.

“Are you sure?” Sans asked, eyes trained on your cock. He’d seen what a human man looked like online. He had been researching how to pleasure human men so he could impress you, but seeing you fully naked in person was mind numbing. You looked wonderful; throbbing, rock hard and Sans could see that you were beginning to drip precome with arousal.

You nodded feverishly, reaching out to wrap your shaking fingers around his lower ribs. “Y-yes! Please! Do you…do you need me to show you?” You offered. Maybe he didn’t know what to do.

To your surprise, Sans smirked down at you and shook his head. “I’ve been… _researching_.”

Sans' grip around your cock tightened from a feather light touch to a sweet friction. Sans snickered as your entire body jolted. It felt great, but a little overwhelming after a long time of only being touched by yourself.

“ _Sans_.” You whimpered, closing your eyes at the intense wave of arousal that shot through you. Sans pumped his hand over your cock, paying attention to the sensitive head, testing out different speeds and pressures. Bringing his hand up to his mouth, Sans licked his hand before bringing them back down to your dick. 

 “Shit!” You swore, San’s saliva mixing with your own precome to make his movements smoother against your aching length. Sans hunched over you, pressing his teeth against your jawline and nipping your skin. Your skin was tingling and a coil in your lower stomach began to twist.

“Can I go inside you?” Sans whispered, pulling back far enough to make eye contact with you. His eyes; now a single glowing blue pupil in his left eye socket, met with your own eyes. The gravity of the situation settled on you, but you were not nervous. You loved Sans and you wanted this so badly.

“I love you.” You told Sans, jutting your hips up to meet his hand. “Please, can you? I…I’ve been thinking about this for d- _aaaayys-”_

You were cut off as Sans stuck his pointer finger in his mouth and swirled his tongue around the bone. Pulling it out of his mouth, the bone was saturated in glowing blue spit. Carefully, Sans brought his single finger down to your puckered entrance and circled the clentching muscle. As soon as he decided that you were relaxed enough, Sans gently eased his finger into you.  Your back arched and a breathless scream left your lips. It was different; you could feel every little bone in his finger. Sans gave you a moment to adjust to his intrusion before he gently wiggled his finger inside of you before pulling out halfway. Sans then pushed his finger back in, earning another groan from you.

“Good? It sounds like its good.” Sans said, thrusting a few more times into you. “ _Hmm_ …you’re so warm.”

Sans finger paused its in-and-out motions and wriggled inside of you. While feeling good, it in no way felt as good as the previous motions. You groaned, reaching out and grabbing Sans’ ulna in a tight grip. “I-I liked what you were doing before.” 

Pausing, Sans went back to the in-and-out motion with his fingers. A guilty frown crossed his face for a moment before it was replaced with a small smirk. “I’m sorry, baby boy. Thank you for telling me. I want you… _t o  f e e l  g o o d .”_

“Gah, _SANS_!” You screamed when Sans slipped a magically lubricated second finger alongside the first. His finger bones gently clicked together as he pleasured you, and it felt so amazing. There was a slight stretch that made you feel warm and like pleasure was wracking your body.

Sans smirked down at you, your eyes misting over as he pleasured you. After a particularly hard thrust back in, Sans crooked his fingers up in a ‘come here’ motion. The affects were earth shattering. Something, your prostate, inside of you was hit, a pleasure point that made your legs quake and your muscles clench in ultimate pleasure. Your lidded eyes snapped open and your back arched clear off the mattress. A destroyed, wild noise left your lips.

“ _Sans, Sans, Sans, Saaahhnss_ …” You began to mutter his name like a mantra, your hips thrusting up to meet his fingers. Sans sped up, changing up the speed of his fingers. While he fucked you with his fingers, Sans other hand resumed palming at your engorged cock. It was so much pleasure, and yet it felt too amazing to ask Sans to stop. At one point, his fingers slid too fast and too deep at an odd angle.

Yelping, you grimaced. “ _Ow_! No, l-like before…please go back to before. Please, please, please!” You pleaded, a small ache traveling up your spine.

Sans frowned, giving your cock a slow, hard pump. “I’m sorry babe, I’m sorry. I just need more time to learn your body…to learn what you like. To learn what will make you say my name again.”

Sans showed his apology in the form of a deep, strong, and smooth pace of his fingers. Every so often his fingers would crook inside of you, sending you into screaming pleasure. Just before Sans was about to insert another finger, your tunnel squeezed around his fingers and your cock twitched.

“Hmm?” Sans hummed curiously. You were tightening around his fingers and then with one wild scream from you, your muscles clenched around his fingers so tightly Sans could have sworn he felt his bones pop.

“ _Sans_!” You came with a loud wail, your entire body trembling as the coil in your lower stomach was set afire and sprung loose. Working your cock through the orgasm, your come sprayed out onto his hand and dribbled down his wrist. Sans stopped his fingers, watching in complete awe as you came down from your high.

Panting, you looked up at Sans with a dopey smile on your face. Pushing yourself up with your shaking arms, you reached out to his pelvis, where his glowing cyan cock was pulsing. When your hand wrapped around his member, Sans pulled away.

“You don’t have to.” Sans said quietly, reaching down to attempt and push your hand away. “We can go back to sleep for a while-”

Sans was cut off as your grip on his cock tightened. Sans hadn’t been the only one to do a little erotica research. Flicking your thumb over the tip of his cock, you smearing the bead of precome over the head.

“ _Fuuuhhck_ …__________.” Sans moaned, leaning back and thrusting into your grip. Pulling your hand away, you licked your palm so that you could slick up his cock better. There, the moisture made your pumping slide better and made it easier to pump faster.

But it wasn’t enough.

You wanted more. You wanted to taste him, to see how his body would react not just to your shaking hands. You rolled onto your stomach so you could become crotch-to-face to your stuttering boyfriend.

“__-___________, please you-” Sans managed to mutter before you wrapped your lips around the head of his dick. With one hand holding you steady and the other pumping the lower half of his cock, your tongue trailed over the sensitive head.

“Don’t stop…don’t stop.” Sans uttered in pleasure, reaching out to place one hand on your shoulder and to weave the other through your hair. He thrust gently into your mouth, careful not to spook or choke you.

You sped up your hand that was pumping Sans’ shaft and swirled your tongue over his slit. Sans’ cock twitched violently in your gasp and Sans tugging at your hair pulled you away from his length just before a gush of blue cum came from him and drizzled down your hand.

Sans was breathing heavily as he leant over to the bedside table, grabbed a tissue, pulled your hand off his cock, and began to clean your hand. The content and pleased smile on Sans’ face, along with his sleepy pupil pin pricks, which were now in the shape of little hearts, made you feel warm and fuzzy. Like you were swarmed in the warmest of fleece.

“ _C’mere_.” Sans muttered once your hand was cleaned and his cock dissipated in a haze of blue magic smoke. “Can we sleep for a little while longer?”

Glancing at the alarm clock placed on the bedside table, you saw that it was ten in the morning. You’d only been asleep for four hours or so.

“We can do whatever we want. I vote for cuddling.” You said, snuggling up to Sans as he tugs the blankets around the two of you. Sans turned you around so that his ribs pressed into your back. He buried his face in your sex-crazed hair and wrapped his arms around you.F


	25. Judgement and Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Leaving the inn when Sunday night came around was harder than you thought it would be. Sans and you had spent almost the entire time tangled together in bed; either sleeping, fooling around, talking, or just radiating in the love that the two of you felt for each other.

Sans offered to drive back home, since you had driven there. After checking out of the room, Sans took control of the car, and with you in the passenger seat, you shoved off for home. Christmas music bubbled from the radio as the city lights became brighter as Sans drove on.

“You know, this was really nice.” You said, shyly pursing your bottom lip. “Thanks for coming along.”

Sans chuckled, taking one hand off the wheel to pat your thigh. “Thank _you_ , babe. You’re too good to me.”

“Nope. I treat you how you deserve.” You said with firm finality. You yawned, and Sans offered you to lay your head in his lap and to stretch out on the bench seats. Taking him up on his offer, you quickly dozed off from the gentle movements of the car and Sans’ hand carding through your hair.

Checking to make sure you were asleep, Sans rested his head against the headrest and let the tears come.

He couldn’t understand what he did to deserve you. Did he truly deserve to have a partner that loved him and treated him like he was important? You treated him like a treasure; something valuable and priceless that could never be replaced. What had he done to deserve you?

He’d done _nothing_ …he wasn’t a decent brother to Papyrus. Fuck being a decent brother, Sans believed that he wasn’t even a decent person, let alone a friend. He was lazy, always tired, annoyed people with jokes, and had hurt so many people. Hurt Frisk so many times…

Sans cried silently the entire way home, and slowly idled the car into the apartment’s lot. After putting the car in park, he dried his tears with the sleeves of his coat and checked his reflection in the mirror. His cheekbones looked a little damp, but he hoped he could fool you.

Gently, Sans wrapped his arms around you tightly. He envisioned the living room couch in his mind’s eye. With a spark of blue and the scent of ozone, Sans had teleported you onto the comfortable couch. He didn’t like teleporting often. It took a bit of effort and it seemed to freak most humans out.

You moaned a bit, stretching out on the couch before nuzzling deeper into Sans’ arms.

Yawning, your eyes fluttered open an inch. “ _Mhh_ …home?” You mumbled, pressing your cheek  into Sans’ ribs.

“Yeah, we’re home babe.” Sans said, patting your hair. You hummed, reaching out and blindly patting Sans’ cheek. You instantly noticed that his cheek felt different than usual…more damp. Had it been raining? Straining your ears, you couldn’t hear the tell-tale pitter patter of rain against the windows.

“Sans…what’s wrong?” You asked, pushing yourself to sit up. Sans turned away from you and patted his cheekbones. He was frustrated with himself. He didn’t want you to know he was upset; but at the same time he did want you to know. He longed for you to understand how he felt. He had good days and bad days; and on those bad days he felt exhausted and numb.

“I’m…just tired.” Sans said, unsure of what to say. You frowned, reaching out and running your fingers under his eye socket.

“Are you having a bad night?”  You asked, surprising him. Slowly, Sans nodded.

Without missing a beat, you stood up from your seat on the couch. You left Sans in the living room and went into your bedroom.

Sans was left sweating on the couch. This was it; the moment he was waiting for. You had gotten tired of him and were probably packing your bags now-

Sans thoughts were stopped as you came jogging back into the living room, pillows stuffed under your arms and a massive fluffy blanket in your arms. Rushing over to the couch, you placed one of the pillows beside Sans, and knelt down. You unzipped his jacket and started to pull off his sneakers.

“H-hey, babe.” Sans said nervously. “You d-don’t gotta do that.”

“ _Shh_.” You hushed, taking off your own shoes and throwing both pairs towards the front door. “Relax. Are you hungry?”

Sans, feeling an uncomfortable gurgle in his pseudo-stomach, shook his head. He didn’t even want to think of eating right now. You nodded, grabbing the remote control and flicking on the TV. You turned it onto a funny, pointless movie and sat back down.

“It’s okay.” You said, leaning back and opening your arms for Sans. Nervously, the skeleton inched closer. Patiently, you kept your arms out for him. Seeing your unwavering smile, Sans let out a relieved cry and collapsed into your arms.

You wrapped him in your arms, not too tight so that he would feel trapped. You held him as he shook. When he calmed, Sans rested his cheek against your shoulder and gave a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t want such a great weekend to end on such a shitty note.”

“Everything’s alright, bone boy.” You said. “Everyone has bad days. You’re going to have them, and I’ll be here for them. My day never ends shittily when I’m with you.”

A tired, yet very amused smile slid across Sans’ face. “Shittily?”

“Yep.” You chuckled, pulling Sans tighter to your chest. “And if I have to make up a word to get my point across, I will!”

Sans weakly laughed, burying his face into your neck. Grabbing the blanket, you pulled it over your bodies and wrapped it around you. Snuggled under the blanket, the two of you float off to sleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

 

 

“Come! Come!” Toriel shouted, holding the apartment front door open for you to run out of. You could hear Papyrus and Frisk chasing behind you, the tall skeleton screeching about where you were going and Frisk giggling alongside him. 

As the two of you raced out of the apartment building and hopped into Toriel’s van, the doors were closed and locked just in time. Papyrus and Frisk crashed into the side of the car, pawing at the windows with puppy dog eyes and forced crocodile tears.

“They act as though we’re never coming back instead of going Christmas shopping.” Toriel giggled as she carefully pulled out of the parking lot. Spying Sans, who was dragging both Papyrus and Frisk back into the apartment, you gave him a wave. With a tired smile, he blew you a kiss before shoving his brother and Frisk into the apartment.

Toriel and you were off to go present shopping for Christmas. Sans and Papyrus agreed to spend the day with Frisk while the two of you were out, but the latter of the two were too nosey and were trying to figure out what presents you and Tori were going to get.

“Such nosey little bloodsuckers.” You chuckled, double checking to make sure you had your wallet with you.

Tori snickered, driving towards the mall. “Saying ‘ _presents’_ in front of those two is like bleeding in shark infested water. Deadly.”

Tori and you chatted while she drove. The two of you planned to stick together for the larger stores, but then split up for a little while. Then, you’d meet up and head off for home.

As it is this time of year, the mall was busy. Tori and you stuck together in the larger department store; where Toriel had found cute matching snail pattered pajamas for herself and Frisk, and you found a wicked looking studded red leather jacket for Papyrus.  After a few more stores together, you split away from Tori to head your own way.

Shopping had taken forever, but you had checked everyone off your list. You found it the hardest to shop for Undyne and Alphys. Although they were very kind, all you knew about them was that Undyne liked: working out, anime, and Alphys; and that Alphys liked: science, anime, and Undyne.

You and Tori had reunited at the original department store which you had parked outside of. Tori looked exhausted, and you worriedly asked if someone had bothered her. The beautiful goat brushed you off and said she was only overwhelmed with all the chaos around her, but you could tell something else was bothering her. You chose to let it slide.

Once you got home, hiding your gifts from Papyrus and Frisk had been an adventure in itself. Toriel told them that anyone that peeks at presents gets forgotten by Santa! That seemed to spook the two and sent them running outside to play in the snow.

Snickering, you waved goodbye to Tori and thanked her once more for driving before dragging your haul into your room to be wrapped. You found a roll of green and silver wrapping paper, tape, and a few bows in the big hallway closet.

Plopping down on your bedroom floor, you began wrapping your presents. As soon as you were done and Sans got home, you were going out to get a tree. You would be fine with the small faux-tree that was stashed in your large hallway closet, but Papyrus had asked for a real tree. Apparently they always had a real tree in the Underground, but they had been unable to afford one since they came Aboveground. Until now that it. 

Unable to deny Papyrus, you had googled the closest Christmas tree farms.

Once all your presents were wrapped, you realized that Sans was still at work. You could hear Papyrus playing with Frisk across the hall at Toriel’s, so you figured you had time to decorate a little bit.

Going into the large hallway closet once more, you pulled out the two large plastic containers; one filled with tree ornaments and the other filled with other decorations. Opening up the decoration box, you pulled out a large ziplock baggie of snowflake window clings and began sticking them to every window in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedrooms.

The apartment was quickly decorated with garland, snowflakes, twinkling lights, and little knickknacks in the shapes of elves, reindeer, and Santa Claus. Just as you finished taping some glittering silver garland around the rim of the breakfast bar, Sans came home.

“Hey, babe.” Sans said, coming into the kitchen. “Ready to make like a tree and _leaf_?”

Snorting, you looked down at your boyfriend. Sans stared up at you with that sweet little smile of his; the smile that he used to get out of trouble.

Damn him…it always worked.

“That pun was _oak_ -kay.” You humored him, taking his hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Sans blushed, a cyan glow spreading across his grinning mug.

“It took me a moment to think of it. I was _stumped_ for a bit.” Sans chuckled, tugging you towards him by your hand. Wrapping one arm around your waist, Sans dipped you. Giggling, Sans’ strong bones held your weight as you were dipped and then thoroughly kissed.

Pulling away for air, you caressed Sans’ cheekbone with your palm. “You’re over- _elm_ -ing me.”

Laughing, Sans pulled you out the door. To say he was excited would be an understatement. Sans was ecstatic; he felt awake for the first time in a days. Seeing Pap and you so excited had raised his spirits even higher.

Sans was ready for the first real Christmas tree Aboveground with his little family.

* * *

 

 

Finding a Christmas tree, this late in the season, was surprisingly easy. Sure, some of the other customers shot the three of you varying looks: confusion, disgust, disinterest, kindness; but none of them bothered you too much. You’d been trying to ignore as many asshats as you could, it was what Sans wanted.

Tying the tree to the top of your car had been the real struggle. Wrangling the conifer had taken almost fifteen minutes. By the end of the battle, all three of you were covered in sap and pine needles.

Hey, at least you smelt nice.

As you were driving, Sans’ cell phone began to ring. He answered, kicking his sneaker-clad feet up onto the dashboard. “Hey, Deb. How’re you?”

There was a few minutes of silence, with the only sound coming from Sans was little hums and ‘ _ah-ha’s_. The phone call was over in five minutes with Sans saying: “Alright, thank you so much, again. It means a lot. Thanks…thanks…Talk to you later.”

Papyrus and you were silent, staring at Sans. Hearing our silent questions, Sans chuckled and reclined back in his seat.

“That was Miss Deb.” Sans yawned, a victorious smile stretching across his skull. “Court went well. The judge ruled in our favor.”

Papyrus screamed, eagerly bouncing in his seat, and you would be lying if you said you hadn’t cheered right along with him.

“That landlady is in a lot of trouble with the human guards Pappers.” Sans chuckled, hearing his younger brother ‘ _oooohhh’_ in a _‘you’re in trouble’_ kind of way. “Deb said we’ll be getting compensated for our troubles. Whatever, as long as this nightmare is _over_.”

The rest of the ride home was spent happily singing, or shouting in some cases, along with the radio. It took all three of you to get the tree off the roof of the car, into the building, up the elevator, and into the apartment. Once the tree was set up in the living room, you gave it some water as Sans and Papyrus dug into the box of ornaments and lights.

“I’ll make some cocoa.” You offered, turning a Christmas movie on before going into the kitchen. Sans and Papyrus didn’t seem to hear you. They were bickering over the blinking white lights or the multicolored lights for the tree.

That night ended on a calm note, with all three of you on the couch, filled to the brim with cocoa, snacks, and Christmas cheer. Standing up and stretching, you threw a blanket over the brothers before curling up against Sans’ side.

You jolted when something gentle caressed the back of your neck. It was Sans, half awake, carding his fingers through the hair at the base of your neck. He smiled at you tiredly, a deep chuckle rumbling in his ribcage. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, you leaned back into his embrace and fell asleep.


	26. Merry Christmas and Fathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, I made a little polyvore set for this chapter: http://www.polyvore.com/your_neighbors_friends_xmas/set?id=185498017 This is so you can get a little look at some of the gifts/imagery from this chapter (:
> 
> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

Jolting from your bed, you rolled out of your sheets from shock. The booming, regal voice shook the entire apartment floor. The air smelt of cookies and pine, and you could hear Papyrus and Frisk happily shouting from your place on your bedroom floor.

Stretching, your joints and bones popped into place. Before you could get up yourself, a pair of strong, but boney arms, lifted you off of the ground. Yelping like a surprised cat, you clung to Sans’ neck. You hadn’t even felt him get out of bed before you.

Sans turned for the door, which made you wriggle in his arms. “Woah! Someone’s a little excited, huh babe?”

“Sans, put me down!” You yelped, kicking your legs harder when Sans ignored you and kept walking towards the hallway. Chuckling, he nuzzled you.

“Never.” Sans said, spinning in a circle. “Never, ever, _ever_!”

“I’m not dressed!” You hissed to Sans, who finally looked down at you. You had gone to sleep wearing one of his very thin tee-shirts and nothing else. The hem of the shirt covered your ass and crotch by a few inches.

Bashfully, Sans set you back on the bed before going over to your dresser. He pulled out a pair of comfy cotton boxers and a pair of black sweatpants. You thanked him with a kiss and tugged on the offered clothes.

You liked it whenever Sans would pick out clothes for you. It wasn’t a _‘I want you to wear this’_ macho-man, controlling partner thing. He never picked out anything that would be considered uncomfortable or sexual. Sans always picked out the comfiest clothes, made of soft and baggy fabric. When he picked you clothes, it made you feel comforted and treasured.

Now that you were fully dressed, you walked hand-in-hand with Sans into the living room. The front door was open, and you could see that Frisk and Papyrus were running in-between the two apartments. Frisk raced into the living room, wearing the snail pajamas that their mother had gotten them for Christmas, and began to sign with their one free hand.

 _‘Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!_ ’ Frisk signed. ‘ _I love it!’_

“What do you have there, big boss?” Sans asked, smiling down at Frisk. Frisk thrust what you had gotten them for Christmas towards Sans: a torso-sized stuffed animal of a dachshund dog. In a previous conversation, Frisk had mentioned that dachshunds were their favorite dog breed, and you had noticed that they had a large stuffed animal collection.

“Nice! What’s their name?” Sans asked, petting the stuffed dog’s head.

 _‘Peter Von Schnitzel_.’ Frisk finger-spelled the name, which took a little bit to comprehend.  

“ _Hot dog,_ that's a nice name. Is everyone all here?” Sans asked, nodding towards their apartment. Frisk nodded and began making the signs for all the people who were in their apartment. Asgore, Alphys, Mettaton, Undyne...

Grabbing your hand, Frisk began to drag you across the hall to their apartment; where it was decided the entire group would be having Christmas. Everyone was sitting in the living room around a massive tree, where Papyrus, Frisk, and Undyne sat underneath with a pile of wrapped gifts.

“I tried to stop them.” Toriel, who was seated snuggly next to a blushing Asgore, grinned sheepishly. “They saw presents and all the sudden wrapping paper started flying!”

You laughed, telling Toriel that it was no problem. Christmas waited for no one! You sat down just in time for Papyrus to start opening the present that you had gotten for him. He pulled the red spiked leather jacket and the grey tank top that read ‘BUT FIRST PASTA’.

“__________!” Papyrus yelped, leaping to his feet. “THANK YOU! I LOVE THEM! SANS! LOOK!”

Sans smiled, accepting a cookie from Toriel. “Looks good, bro.”

“It will look even better on me!” Papyrus said, putting aside the box to reach for another present. Undyne smirked at him, wearing a homemade beanie from Toriel atop her head.

“You’ll look less like a DORK in it!” Undyne said, clearly speaking playfully. Papyrus laughed, telling the fish-monster that she would know what a dork looked like. The two friends started throwing wrapping paper balls at each other.

“Tori.” You called over their battle. “This is for you.”

Toriel accepted the little box, which was topped with a purple bow. She gasped when she opened the box, revealing the gold and crystal snail ring. She quickly slid it on her finger and held her hand up to admire it.

“I love it!” Toriel said, reaching out to grip your hand. “Don’t you, Dreemy?”

 _Dreemy_?

Asgore flushed, scratching the back of his head bashfully. “It was made for you, my Tor.”

The rest of the day went as such. Presents were passed around, along with food. It was extremely amusing to you when you realized that the majority of the gifts you received were skeleton-themed. Alphys and Papyrus had teamed up to get you a matching sweater and necklace, both which were of a skeletal hand giving the universal sign for peace. Asgore and Frisk had given you a very cute little black backpack that had a smiling skull emblazoned on it.

The cutest gift was from Toriel. They were handmade pillows, three of them, with a large initial on each pillow. One for you with the letter of your first name, a big S for Sans, and a big P for Papyrus.

‘ _Look_!’ Frisk signed to Asgore to try and show him the nerf gun that Undyne had gotten them. Asgore glanced their way, but was busy handing Toriel a mug of piping hot coffee. _‘Look! DAD!’_

The entire room froze.

“D…dad?” Asgore said, looking down at Frisk in awe. Frisk, looking not bashful at all, nodded up at the massive goat-monster. With a sniffle, Asgore scooped Frisk up into his arms and raced into the hallway.

Worriedly, you and Toriel followed after the ex-king and his child. Creaking open the apartment door, the two of you peeked out into the hallway.

In the hallway, was the sweetest sight you’ve ever seen.

Asgore had Frisk in his arms, the child tucked protectively to his broad chest. Asgore’s back was pressed to the wall and his quaking legs looked like they were about to give out. The massive king was openly sobbing, rocking himself and Frisk. Frisk was hugging tightly, face nuzzled into their father’s chest.

You and Toriel smiled at each other and slowly backed away from the door.

“Asgore and I had children…once upon a time.” Toriel whispered to you. “One child was biologically ours, but our youngest was a human child that fell into the Underground.”

Surprised, you looked to Toriel. You knew of people who once _had_ children; meaning they either lost their child or they _lost_ their child. Whether the children were dead or not; no longer having a child must be excruciating.

“Our youngest…died first.” Toriel spoke evenly, but you could almost taste the bitter hurt that rolled off her in waves. “Asriel…our oldest, brought his body Aboveground…where he was killed…by humans. They…They didn’t know better.”

Horror washed over you. To lose two children in such a short amount of time, and one by murder no less…

“Tori…I’m…I’m so sorry.” You offered shakily, wrapping your arms tightly around the beautiful mother. She clung to you, her sharp nails slightly digging into your back. Toriel took a shuddering breath before composing herself.

“All is well. They are in a better place.” Toriel said, batting her eyes to fight back the receding tears. “I will see them once more, but for now, I am happy to have my Frisk.”

A haunted look crossed Toriel’s kind hazelnut colored eyes. You knew what she was thinking immediately. Reaching out, you gripped her hand and squeezed.

“No one is taking Frisk from you. The only way Frisk is going anywhere is over my _d e a d  b o d y.”_ You promised. Tori blinked in awe before a loud, bellowing laugh pulled from her mouth. You had never heard Toriel laugh this hard before.   

“Sans is really _rib_ bing off on you, eh?” Toriel laughed, wiping away a joyful tear.

Going back to the party, everyone was speaking quietly. Mettaton, who was playing with the glitter covered tamagotchi you had gotten for him, was sitting next to Papyrus. The tall skeleton was watching over the cyborgs shoulder as he messed with the technology with simple taps of his fingers.

“Is ev-everything o-okay?” Alphys asked, wringing her hands. Toriel smiled and nodded, taking a seat back on the couch.

“They are having _a horns to heart_.” She giggled. Everyone took a deep breath and went back to enjoying the party. The music, which had been turned down, was turned back on. Asgore and Frisk returned a few moments later with huge smiles. Frisk sat on their father’s lap, signing excitedly to their mother about how much they loved their gifts.

“Is Tori alright?” Sans whispered to you, worriedly glancing at Toriel. “She’s always been a _queen_ at hiding her feelings.”

“Did you know that she and Asgore had kids? And that they’re…they’re _gone_.” You whispered, your voice thankfully masked by the others voices and the music. Sans nodded sadly, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and tugging you closer to him.

“Yeah.” Sans hushed, leaning forward to nuzzle your cheek. “She’s stronger than every monster ever born put together.”

You nodded in total agreement. You couldn’t imagine losing two children. It was unfathomable.

Wanting to brighten the mood a bit, you tugged on Sans hand.

“I want to give you something. C’mon!” You said, pulling Sans up and off the couch. Unnoticed by the rest of the party goers, you slipped out into the hall and tugged Sans into your apartment. He asked where you were going and you pulled him into his room. Thankfully, you had thought to set this up late last night, positive that Sans would stay in bed with you until you had the chance to surprise him.

“Woah.” Sans said, looking at his bed in awe. You had found a website that would make large bed comforters with stars, constellations, and galaxies printed on them. The new bedspread was a deep cyan mixed with red, magenta, and glistening stars.

In the corner of the room, all set up at the large window, was a new telescope. You had noticed that Sans’ old one was well loved, but very worn and old. This new telescope was bigger and stronger; better to see higher and clearer into the sky.

“Sorry if it’s kinda boring.” You shrugged, unable to read the look on Sans’ face. “I thought you’d like to see the stars better. And you can see them from your room now.”

Sans leapt at you before you could begin to feel nervous. He squeezed you, rocking you in his arms. “Thank you. This is…wow…No one has really known about…me…what I like…for a long time. No ones pushed me to keep dreaming about looking up at the sky since…since…”

Sans didn’t finish, letting you go. He slowly walked over to the telescope, running his fingers along the glistening metal. He adjusted the instrument towards the sky, looked up into the vacuum of space, and let out a deep sigh.

“We had parents.” Sans said quietly, and you suddenly felt like shit for never asking. No one ever mentioned about their parents, and Sans was already so depressed and filled with self-loathing, you didn’t want to bring up a sensitive subject.

“Did they…encourage you to get into science?” You asked cautiously. You took your spot beside him, looking up into the sky. Sans pursed the bones that surrounded his teeth, his sigh hissing through him like a low pitched whistle.

“Yeah. The old man was the royal scientists before Alphys. Pops was…I’m not really sure.” Sans said, trying to wrack his skull for the answers.

“I thought you just said he was the royal scientist?” You were confused. Sans smirked, glancing sideways at you.

“Papyrus had I had two fathers.” Sans said, smiling at the surprise that crossed your features. “Yeah, my _dad_ , the old man was the royal scientist. My _pop_ , I’m not sure what he did. I remember him being around a lot…he might have worked from home or even stayed at home to take care of Pappers and I while dad was at work.”

You watched as Sans looked into the eyepiece of the telescope, expertly reaching out to adjust the lens. Sans took in a surprised breath, his gaze trained on the sky. “This is what my dads dreamed of. Me and Paps Aboveground…seeing the sky for real.”

Sans turned away from his telescope and smiled. This smile wasn’t thinly veiled with the sadness that seemed to infiltrate even the smallest of his expressions. Sans was happy; truly happy as he looked at you.

“I love you.” Sans said, pulling a small box wrapped in silver and orange from his pocket. “This is…is for you.”

Accepting the box, you pulled the ribbon loose. Taking the top off of the box, you revealed a wonderful masculine necklace. The charm hung off a black chord, the shape of a glass heart a little bigger than the size of a quarter. The glass heart was a beautiful teal blue, the shade almost identical to the glow of your and Sans’ combined souls.

“It’s… _woah_ , bone boy.” You whispered, the glass charm resting in your palm. “I’m not a big jewelry person, but this is incredible. I actually want to wear this! Help me put it on!”

Sans was originally nervous when he had picked out the necklace for you. He noticed that the jewelry you wore was sparse, and usually very sentimental. To see your eagerness as you unlocked the clip and slid the necklace around your neck; it made him smile.

The little teal heart rested comfortably at the beginning of your sternum. You puffed out your chest, proudly displaying the heart as it glimmered against your skin. Sans smiled, reaching out to toy with the little heart.

“Looks good.” Sans smiled up at you softly. “ _Heart breakingly_ beautiful.”  

Snorting, you swatted at your boyfriend, who leapt back to dodge. You chased him around the room, both of you giggling as he dodged your playful swings. Eventually, you caught the collar of his hoodie and yanked him off of his feet. The two of you fell to his bed, the new galaxy bedspread fluffy underneath your bodies.

Laughing, Sans rolled over on top of you. His ribs shook against your skin and his warm breath washed over your face. Arching up, you pressed your lips against his mouth. Laughter poured through the sides of your kisses; but neither of you could help it.

“Merry Christmas, Sans.” You said after you pulled away. Sans looked down at you, his eyes lidded in happiness.

Gently, Sans cupped your cheek and ran the pad of his thumb across your bottom lip.

“Merry Christmas, babe. Love you.”


	27. Fault and Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

The weeks after Christmas passed in a flurry.

Undyne, Alphys, and you had begun to build a deeper friendship. You and Mettaton texted each other almost every day, much to the chagrin of Sans. Worry whirled around in his skull; he still believed that Mettaton would hurt his brother. You told him that his brother, although a little eccentric, was an adult and could choose his own relationships.

Sans disagreed, but there wasn’t much he could do.

Asgore had moved into the apartment across the hall with Toriel and Frisk. Tori had thrown a beautiful welcome dinner for Asgore just after New Years Day, which Asgore was very thankful for. It warmed your heart seeing the two royals back together.

What made you squeal was whenever you’d spy Asgore escorting Frisk somewhere, walking hand in hand.

_Too cute._

Alphys’ degree was finally accredited, and she was being offered jobs by various universities around the country. Her work with robotics, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering was unparalleled. The little dinosaur wanted to stay somewhat local; she did not want to leave all her friends and uproot the life she had with Undyne.

But, as is with most good things, they must come to an end.

You were in your bedroom, typing away on your laptop and watching some scary stories on YouTube, when the front door slammed shut. The whole apartment shook, and footsteps running down the hall made you jump out of your bed.

The sobs scared the fuck out of you too.

Ripping open your door, you caught sight of a distraught Papyrus rushing into his room. You followed after him, running into his dark room. Pap had thrown himself on his bed, face first in his pillow to try and muffle his sobs.

“Paps!” You said, sitting down on the mattress beside him. “Pap, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Your roommate shook his head fervently, still hiding his face in his pillow. Your heart was beating erratically and your blood was pounding in your ears. What was wrong? Had someone hurt him? Said something horrible to him?

“Talk to me, Pap. _Please_!” You begged softly, running your hand down his spine, trying to soothe him. Papyrus was quaking, his shoulders shaking with the strength of his sobs. It was heart wrenching. You tried to soothe Papyrus as best you could, but you had no clue as to why he was so upset.

The best choice of action would be to call Sans. He’d slipped out of bed a few hours prior, the two of you slept together a few times a week but not every night, and went off to his job at the ice cream place. He could probably leave a little early, or at least talk to Papyrus on the phone during his break. That’s what you should do. Sans would know what to do.

“I’m…going to call Sans.” You said, inching off the bed. Papyrus’ grabbed your arm tightly, digging his fingers into the flesh of your skin.

“No!” Papyrus yelped, orange tears streaming down his cheek bones. “A-all he’s gonna do i-is tell m-me that he-he was right… _ALL ALONG_!”

With that, Papyrus smashed his face into his pillow for another round of inconsolable sobbing.

You instantly put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Pap…is something wrong with you and Mettaton?”

The cyborg’s name sent Papyrus crying even harder.

Without Papyrus knowing, you slid your cellphone out of your pocket. While he was still drowning in his tears, you texted a quick _‘Papyrus is upset, something about Met. They might have broken up’_ to Sans.

“H-he broke up with me!” Papyrus sobbed into his pillow.

With a few flicks of your thumb, you texted Sans one last message before putting away your phone. _‘Definitely broke up._ ’

“I’m so sorry, Pap.” You said, rubbing his shoulders in soothing circles like Sans did for you whenever you were upset. Papyrus’ bones were shuddering with the strength of his sobs, and you were worried that he was going to cry himself to pieces.

“H-he said that…h-his agent told him tha-that he needed t-to date someone fa- _famous_!” Papyrus tried to speak, but his voice hiccupped and hitched every few words. “Not s-some _no n-name skeleton_!”

Anger rose in your soul like a wildfire. How dare that asshole! Mettaton had told you that he loved Papyrus because he wasn’t famous! He loved that Papyrus wasn’t blinded by limelight and money; Papyrus was a true person. Not a famous flake.

“You are not some no name skeleton!” You hissed, tugging Papyrus out of his pillow to face you. “You are the great Papyrus! Wonderful chef, master flower crafter, puzzle whisperer, amazing friend, and a brother that people wish they had! Mettaton’s missing out if he’s willing to give someone as incredible as you up for publicity!”

Papyrus’ face crunched up, trying to hold back tears. He wrapped his arms around your waist and hid his face in your stomach. Crying once more, you cradled the back of Papyrus’ head and tried to soothe him as best as you could. You whispered calming things to him, trying your hardest to calm the sweet soul you shared your home with.

But on the inside, you were fuming. You wanted to strangle that little chrome bastard.

Papyrus was able to talk in-between his sobs. Little utterances like “I don’t understand”, “I thought I was important enough”, and “I loved him…I love him so much.”

You couldn’t do anything but rock the skeleton and tell him that everything would be okay, that he was important, and that you and Sans loved him so incredibly much.

After a few hours, Papyrus’ cries dulled to sniffles and coughs. You had taken to running your hand over the back of his skull and massaging his temples. That seemed to help, as his eye sockets began to flutter shut.

When Papyrus had exhausted himself and fallen asleep, you inched off the bed and tiptoed out of his bedroom. You slunk into your room and pulled out your cell phone to call Sans. You couldn’t believe it. Mettaton seemed to care for Papyrus so much. Why would he break up with Papyrus over publicity? You thought that Mettaton’s feelings for Paps were sincere…but now you weren’t so sure.

Dashing the idea to call Sans, you planned on first biting off a piece of Mettaton yourself. How could he hurt Papyrus like this?! You sat on your bed and picked up your phone, ready to give Mettaton a piece of your mind, when your bedroom door swung open. Thinking it was Papyrus, you glanced up to see Sans. He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile across his mug.

“I told you.” Sans hissed, shaking his head. “That bucket of bolts was _nut_ -hing but trouble. But _no_ , you told me that I had to give him a chance and he wasn’t gonna hurt Paps. And look where we are now.”

Not amused by his smug attitude, you frowned at your partner. “I didn’t think Mettaton was going to hurt Pap, but he did. Instead of gloating, why don’t you go comfort him? He’s hurting bad-”

Sans cut you off with a scoff and a wave of his hand. “This wouldn’t have happened if you and Pap had just listened to me.”

“Well.” You huffed, irritated. “Not all of us are so lucky as to be as enlightened as you are.”

Sans frowned, narrowing his eye sockets at you. He was pissed that his baby brother was currently in his room pretending to be asleep, when in reality he was sobbing his eye sockets out. Sans would be lying if he said he didn’t blame you a little. You had accepted and supported their relationship after all.

“Maybe if you had used your head, Pap wouldn’t be hurt.” Sans hissed, his left pupil turning blue.

“This isn’t my fault, Sans.” You frowned, trying to hide your hurt. “You have a right to be upset, but not at me. Mettaton is the one that hurt Pap, not me. I’m on Pap’s side.”

Sans frowned, still glaring at you. “Right. You had no clue. You’re all buddy buddy with that _thing_ , and he never mentioned anything about hurting Pap?”

“No, he didn’t.” You growled, beginning to get irritated. “I had no part in this, Sans. Stop being a jerk.”

“But you did have a part in this! It’s just as much your fault as it is Mettaton’s!” Sans snapped, stomping his foot.

Completely done with Sans’ attitude, you stood up. Marching over to the door, you shoved Sans off of the doorframe and into the hallway. “If you really think that: get out!”

You slammed the door behind you and flicked the lock, expecting him to try and come back in. You expected a knock at least, but no sound was made. Sans wasn’t even going to try to apologize to you.

Becoming increasingly upset, you chose to release your rage on a certain cyborg.

A little immature, sure, but it seemed alright at the time.

Hitting the correct buttons, your cell phone began to ring on speaker phone. You flopped down onto your bed, feeling completely drained. The line rang a few times before a quiet sniffly voice answered: “H-hello?”

“Mettaton… _what are you doing?”_ You groaned. “Papyrus is home and is a total wreck.”

Mettaton groaned. “I didn’t want to hurt him, darling. You have to understand that.”

You didn’t have to understand jack shit.

“I love Papyrus, I really do, but he is not meant for the limelight, darling.”

If you knew anyone that was meant for any kind of attention, it was your Pap.

“I need to be with someone who’s photogenic and appealing to my viewers.”

Papyrus was photogenic! You were sure that Mettaton’s viewers would love your Pap if he was given a chance. Mettaton had hidden their entire relationship. He never showed Papyrus off; always taking him to restaurants but sneaking in and asking to be sat in a secluded area. 

“Papyrus just doesn’t meet my requirements.”

That’s funny, Mettaton didn’t care about any requirements until his agent told him about them.

“I need to have someone who…is as great as me.”

You frowned, the phone pressed against your ear. The way he was talking about Papyrus was making you angry. You tried to hold back, but your temper was rising incredibly fast.

“PAPYRUS IS GREATER THAN YOU!”

The volume of your own voice surprised you.

“And shut up!” You stuttered, scrambling to try and control your tongue. “Don’t talk about my brother like that!”

Mettaton stuttered, unsure of what to say. You jumped at him before he could manage his words.

“I know you’re hurt and I’m sorry that the relationship between the two of you isn’t working out, but he’s my brother, so watch what you say about him! And all I’ve heard you say is ‘I need’ and ‘I want’! If you really loved Papyrus, he would be your first priority!”

Mettaton stuttered, surprised by you. He had expected you to be upset, but not angry at him. You were friends with him after all; good friends. “I love Papyrus, I really do darling, but-”

“No! There is no buts!” You steamed, growing angrier. “You either love Papyrus or you love yourself! Maybe you don’t have any room in your circuits to love Papyrus like he deserves! Maybe he needs someone better, someone who’s as great as he is!”

And you weren’t done.

“There are no buts! When you love someone, you love every part of them! Sure, Papyrus isn’t a star, but you told me that was one of the reasons why you liked him! Sans is currently pissing the fucking hell out of me, but I still love that lazy little jackass!”

“Darling, please you need to listen-” Mettaton pleaded.

“I don’t have to listen to shit! You hurt my brother and you’re going to regret not having him in your life anymore!”

And with that, you hung up angrily. Your blood was still pounding in your ears. You were still pissed as all hell. You needed to walk it off. Grabbing your coat and jamming on your shoes, you left the apartment and flew down the stairs.

Hopefully, the cold air would cool your hot blood and clear your head.

Unbeknownst to you, Papyrus and Sans, who had been locked away in Papyrus’ room, were able to hear you shouting at Mettaton over the phone. Sans was very angry that Mettaton was making you upset, but he was proud of you for sticking up for Paps.

“S-Sans.” Papyrus whispered, nuzzling into his brother’s side, teary eyed. “___-_______ called me…h-his brother.”

A blue light bulb flashed above Sans’ skull. That’s right, you did. A warm feeling leeched into Sans’ ribcage and a large smile found a home on his face. You saw Papyrus as your family. Sans smiled, holding back happy, and slightly melancholy tears. He had a family: you, he, and Papyrus.

He would do anything to protect his family.

Then, reality came crashing down on him.

A frown twisted his face, as he recalled the hurt in your eyes that you tried to hide from him. You had only ever tried to support Papyrus’ relationship, and he blamed you. Sans blamed you for something you had no control over.

Sans wanted to scream, he wanted to shout, he wanted to chase after you. Pushing himself off Papyrus’ bed, his brother’s soft voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Sans…_________ probably wants to be alone. He's angry. He uh…called you a…hmm…lazy little jackass.” Papyrus said softly, his voice hoarse from crying. Sans frowned, but nodded.

“You’re right, Pappers.” Sans sighed, crawling back into bed with his brother. “I…really hurt his feelings.”

“I’m always right in the ways of love, brother!” Papyrus tried to force his usual smile on his face. “And ________ loves you very much! He will forgive you. He said he loved you himself!”

Sans couldn’t help the bubble of nervousness that swelled in his non-existent gut. “You sure?”

“Positive. But maybe you should get him flowers.” Papyrus nodded, slipping under his blankets. “Can you read a new story? One of the human ones?”

Turning towards Papyrus’ bookshelf, Sans ran his fingers over the spines of all the books. A few days ago, you had found a used book store and had bought as many books for Papyrus as you could carry. It was a sweet gesture that sent Papyrus into an excited tizzy. As much as he loved Fluffy Bunny, the new titles were very intriguing.

“Any requests, bro?” Sans said, a little overwhelmed by the dozens of new and unfamiliar book titles.

Papyrus hummed, tapping his feet together under his covers. “Hmmm…how about that one? The Rainbow Fish!”

Grabbing the well-loved book, Sans settled down on the bed beside Papyrus, leaning against the headboard. Papyrus listened intently, curious about the new story. Before the book was finished, Papyrus was asleep, his hand wrapped around his brother’s jacket sleeve.

Turning off the lights with a snap of his fingers, Sans settled down to sleep.

But he didn’t fall asleep until he heard the front door open and watched you enter your bedroom a few hours later. Again, with a flick of his fingers, the front door was locked and secured.

Now, he could sleep.


	28. Make It Up To You*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: SMUT! Oral, hand jobs, fingering, and the beginning of confident dirty talking Sans ;)
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You were still a little upset with Sans when you woke up the next morning. Okay, more than a little upset. It hurt that he would blame Papyrus’ heart break on you! Your late night walk, which tired you out, did cool your temper enough for you to sleep.

Getting ready for work seemed more arduous than normal. Tugging on your pants was a struggle, brushing your teeth was a toil, and leaving your bedroom felt like a death march.

The last person you wanted to deal with was Sans.

You knew fighting with him more would be a bad idea, so you wanted to avoid him for a bit. You weren’t sure if he was still heated from the fight. Would you be able to take the high road and walk away if Sans was looking to further the fight? Avoiding conflict was your main objective for the day.

Sans was nowhere to be seen in the living room or kitchen, but there were signs of life. Opening the fridge, you found a lunch already made for you. At a glance, it was filled with a cute little heart shaped sandwich, a few ketchup packets, and some candy. On the outside of the paper bag was a little blue heart and a small scrawled note of: ‘ _sorry’._

Feeling a little grumpy, you chose to ignore the bag and make yourself a different lunch.

Childish? _Sure_.

An appropriate little ‘screw you’? _Sure_.

With your self-made lunch made, you jammed on your boots and headed out the door.

Tori, Asgore, and Frisk were standing outside, waiting for Frisk’s school bus, when you walked outside. The child was running around Asgore excitedly, their backpack bouncing on their back. Asgore was trying to catch them, worried about them falling on ice, but his sheer size made it hard for him to maneuver as quickly as Frisk. 

“Good morning, _______!” Tori called, waving you over. She lent in close and whispered in your ear so that Frisk would not hear. “Is everything alright? We could hear shouting last night.”

Extremely embarrassed, you glanced away from Tori. You prayed that you hadn’t woken any of them up. “Mettaton broke up with Papyrus last night, and then Sans and I fought about it.”

Toriel frowned, already worrying about Papyrus. She thought that the two had made a lovely couple. “Oh, the poor dear…I’ll stop over there today with some pie and lend an ear.”

“Thank you so much, Tori.” You sighed, glancing up to your kitchen window. “I’d really appreciate that. I think Pap needs to be surrounded by people that love him right now. He was taking the break really hard last night.”

Toriel patted you on the back. “The first day is always the hardest. Now, how are you feeling?”

Remembering what Sans had said to you last night made your eyes water a tad. You didn’t want to cry in front of Toriel. She was finally happy; with a loving partner, a good home, a job she loves, and another chance at being a mother to a wonderful child…she didn’t need to be dragged down by your problems.

“I’ll…be alright, Tori. I’m hurt and more than a little pissed, but I’ll get over it.” You sniffed, hoping your glassy eyes could be blamed on the passing cold breeze. Toriel saw the signs, understanding that you didn’t want to talk about it. The wounds were too soon; too fresh.  

With a quick good morning to Frisk and Asgore, you got in your car and drove off to work. At your desk, you turned on your desktop computer, checked the mail, and finally sat down and waited for someone to call or send an email.

A few hours into your day, you were in one of the conference rooms tidying up when you heard the call-bell at your desk being rung. “Coming!” You shouted, throwing away the last of the candy wrappers that a previous client left behind and walking quickly behind your desk.

“Hey, can I help…you…” You trailed off, seeing Sans standing before your desk. You pursed your lips, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, the office phone rang and you quickly snatched the phone up.

“Law offices.” You greeted, ignoring Sans, who began to awkwardly rocking on the balls of his feet. “Yes…yes she’s in her office. Would you like me to transfer you to her line?...Of course! Alright…alright, you too, have a nice day!” You transferred the client, glancing back at Sans.

“Can I help you?” You asked coldly, trying to come off as civil and not at all bitter. Sans winced. You sounded pissed as all hell.

“I…have a wrap up meeting with Deb.” Sans said, taking a shy step closer to your desk. “You forgot your lunch at home, so I thought you and me could go out for food after.”

Frowning, you turned to look at your desktop, hoping someone would send you an important email. “I didn’t forget my lunch.” You said blandly, picking up the bag you had made yourself to show him. Sans grimaced, nervously tapping his fingers against the polished wood of the desk.

So you had seen the lunch he made you. You just chose to ignore it.

 _Ouch_.

Sans chose to roll with it as he always does. With a pun.

“Oh. I thought I saw your lunch in the fridge by the eggs…and you know my vision is _egg_ cellent.” Sans chuckled, hoping you’d smile. You wanted to smile…you wanted to so _so_ badly, but you forced it down. You stared Sans down and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Rough crowd.” Sans muttered, scratching the back of his skull.

You reached for the phone and hit the button for Deb’s extension. The attorney answered after the first few rings with a quirky greeting. You couldn’t help but smile a little. “Miss Deb, Snowdin is here for his wrap up meeting.”

Sans grimaced. Back to a last-name basis.

Were you ever on a last-name basis? Great, Sans was worse off now than when he first met you.

Deb chuckled. “A fight in paradise?”

“Yeah.” You said, shrugging.

“Poor thing. I’ll be out in a second!” Deb said, hanging up her phone. You hung up your desk phone back into its cradle, staring at the device in hopes that another client would call to take your attention.

“Ah…one of my old friends finally got his business up and running Aboveground.” Sans said, eye sockets trained on your face. “Everyone’s meeting there tonight to support him and to.. _uh_..celebrate all this court nonsense being over.”

Knowing what he was insinuating, you pursed your lips and turned your attention towards the mail and began to sort it. “Have a good time.”

Sans sighed, resting his forehead on the lip of the desk. “C’mon, babe. I’m sorry, but you’re being unreasonable. Please talk to me… _please_.”

Maybe you were being too cold…

“I _know_ I fucked up and I’m going to make it up to you. But you need to give me the chance to do that.” Sans said, reaching out his hand to you. With a small pout, you gave him your hand, which he cradled and pressed against his cheek. He smiled, a blue blush spreading across his face.

“Thank you, babe.” Sans whispered, pressing a kiss to the inside of your palm. “I’ll make it up to you. I’m so sorry.”

You nodded. Sans sighed, continuing on. “I was so angry. I wanted to rip Mettaton into smaller pieces of scrap metal. I went a little crazy because I was right about him…but I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You were there to comfort Pappers when I couldn’t. I’m so sorry baby boy. I love you.”

Feeling your heart melt a little, you ran your thumb under Sans’ eye socket. “I love you too, bone boy.”

Sans smiled, his grin filled with love and relief. “Even though I’m a _ahh_ …a lazy little jackass.”

You blushed, shrugging your shoulders. “You’re my lazy little jackass?” You offered with a weak laugh.

Sans heard Miss Deb coming down the hall, and pulled away from your hand. “I’ll make it up to you babe. Love you.”

You smiled, glancing away shyly. “How many times are you gonna say it? But, I love you too.”

Miss Deb smiled brightly, hearing your cooing. With a wave of her hand, she led Sans back into one of the conference rooms to wrap up the case. They stayed in the conference room for an hour or so before they both came out with satisfied smiles.

“Thank you again, Miss Deb.” Sans said, shaking Deb’s hand with a manila folder tucked underneath his other arm. The attorney smiled, patting Sans’ shoulder fondly.

“It was my pleasure. I wish all my clients were as good as you and your brother, Sans.” Miss Deb said, smiling at the humble blush that crossed Sans’ face. He thanked her again, turning to you and winking.

“I’ll see you at home, babe.” Sans said, leaning over your desk and pressing a toothy-kiss to your forehead. Leaning away, Sans smiled widely at you. “Wanna see a trick?”

Feeling better, you nodded. Sans had begun to reveal to you some of his magic powers. He had shown you his telekinesis-esq powers, but you still wondered what else your boyfriend was capable of.

“Now you see me…” Sans said, taking a step away from your desk.

With a wag of his brow bones and a sly wink, static filled the air. Sans disappeared, completely and utterly vanishing before your very eyes.  You stood from your seat, the back of your chair smashing into the wall behind you.

“W-what the hell?!” You gasped, glancing around. Your cell phone rang, it was a face-time call from Sans. You hit the correct buttons and adjusted the screen to face level. “Sans! What happened!?”

Sans chuckled, smirking at you through the screen. “What? You’re dating a rather _enchanting_ skeleton and you’re surprised by a little teleportation?”

Teleportation…your boyfriend could teleport!

Seeing your disbelieving expression, Sans showed you his surroundings. He was in the apartment, lounging on the couch with a smile on his face.

“Wow… _wow_!” You said, trying to play off your obvious excitement. “That’s…pretty cool.”

C’mon, you just forgave him. You can’t be letting him get off too easy.

“I know.” Sans winked, sitting up. “Now, I’ve got to _prepare_. I’ll see you when you get off of work. Remember, I’m making last night up to you. I’m really sorry, babe.”

“I’ll see you tonight, bone boy.” You smiled. Sans blew you a kiss before ending the video call. Smiling to yourself, you went back to work.

You supposed you could forgive Sans…

But you wouldn’t deny that you were a little curious about how he was planning to get back into your good graces.

When your work day ended, you drove home, bopping along to the radio while you waited in traffic. Once you had pulled into the apartment building’s parking lot, you were surprised to find Sans waiting for you outside. Your boyfriend jogged over to your car and opened the door for you.

“M’lord.” Sans playfully bowed, taking your work satchel from you. Without a hitch in his step, Sans swept you into his arms and carried you inside the apartment building. To your shock, and a little worry, Sans walked towards the stairs instead of towards the elevator.

“Sans…shouldn’t we take the elevator?” You asked, tightening your grip around his neck as Sans began to smoothly walk up the stairs. Even with your satchel slung over his shoulder and you cradled in his arms, Sans walked up the stairs smoothly.

“Nope.” Sans sighed happily, hugging you closer to his sternum. “The stairs mean I get to hold you longer.”

Unlocking the front door with his magic, Sans carried you into the apartment. You could smell something amazing coming from the kitchen, but Sans whisked you away before you could see what he was making. He breezed past the living room and carried you into the bathroom.

 “Oh my…Sans…” You gasped. The lights were dimmed, but Sans had lit tiny tea candles all around on the counters, window stills, and rim of the tub. A steaming bath was all set, filled with bubbles, the water colored a soft purple, and scented wonderfully. The bathroom had been transformed into a scene out of A Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Sans set you on your feet, steadying your shaky knees. “This is amazing.” You said in awe. Sans chuckled, tugging at the waistband of your pants. You didn’t struggle as he tugged your work pants, along with your boxers, down your legs. Running his hands back up, he easily removed your shirt and pressed a kiss to your clavicle.

“Now, get in there, or you’ll be in a load of tr- _bubbles_.” Sans laughed, lifting you once more. You laughed as he gently eased you into the bath, which smelled like lavender and peonies. Before you could thank him, Sans ran out of the bathroom.

He returned with his ipod, a small ipod dock, and…was that a cinnamon bun?

Placing the ipod dock on the counter, he pressed play, and a soothing melody poured softly out of the speakers. Sans handed you the small plate, which did in fact, have a cinnamon bun placed perfectly in the center. It was perfect, with just the right amount of icing drizzled over it. There was just a little something off about the shape of the pastry…

“Is… _is this a heart_?”  You asked in a soft voice. Sans, who was smiling like a kid on Christmas, nodded his head.

“T-thank you, baby.” You said, picking up the pastry and taking a small bite. It was incredible. “You’re too sweet.”

“Nah, I’m a weird- _dough_.” Sans winked. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, for a weird-dough, I’m _cannoli_ happy when I’m with you.” You smiled, happy to see that familiar cyan blush on his gorgeous cheek bones.  

“I _donut_ understand that pun.” Sans muttered shyly.

“That one was a bit of a _whisk_.” You giggled, playfully flicking some water towards your boyfriend.

You were happy that you were not fighting anymore. Fighting with Sans seemed like the worst thing in the world. You hadn’t slept well after the fight…shit, nothing felt normal after the fight. Your entire world felt off kilter. Like everything was tilted and less interesting.

Sans smiled, running his fingers through your hair. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” You hummed, inhaling the lovely smell of the bath bubbles around you.

“Now, take as long as you want! My friend’s restaurant opens at eight, and I’ve got a little something waiting for you on our bed.” Sans winked before leaving you to bathe.

_Our bed?_

You blushed, humming along with the soft music that Sans had left playing from his ipod. Did he mean your bed, or his bed? You seemed to be bouncing from your bed to his bed whenever you slept together. You did enjoy sleeping with your skeletal boyfriend.

 _Hmm_..if you really milked this _‘making it up to you’_ thing…maybe you’d get a week of sleepy time cuddles.

Feeling a little smug and more than a little pampered, you finished your bath. When you were about to get out of the luke-warm water, Sans came running around the corner and smacked into your bare body.

“S-Sans!” You yelped, leaping back. Sans, a little star struck from getting his face smashed into your bare chest, limply held out a towel. He tossed it over your shoulders and wrapped you up tightly. The towel was toasty warm and smelled like drier sheets.

“I put it in the drier for you.” Sans hummed. “Pap used to love it when he was a kid.”

You agreed. The hot towel on your chilly skin felt amazing. Sans dried your cheek with the edge of the towel, a serene smile across his skull. Grabbing your hand, Sans led you down the hall to his bedroom. There was a little bag on the bed, but Sans pushed that aside when he nudged you into his bed.

“Thanks, bone boy, you’re so n- _iiiiiiiice_!” You yelped when Sans snapped your towel away, leaving your body bare and a little chilly. Sans chuckled, running his hands up to your thighs.

“Cold?” Sans asked, smirking.

Snorting, you gently kicked at Sans. He grabbed your foot before gently trailing his fingers up your leg and into the sensitive inside of your thigh. Sans hands, hotter than normal from the heat of the towel, caressed the flesh of your thighs as if you were made of the finest silk.

“Baby~” Sans cooed, spreading your thighs gently to stand between them. “Can I… _make it up to you?”_

“I…I thought you already were.” You swallowed thickly, rocking your hips anxiously as Sans’ fingertips teased and kneaded your skin. He chuckled, passion crossing his handsomely shaped facial bones.

“Can I?” Sans asked again, phalanges gliding up closer to the apex of your thighs.

You and Sans hadn’t been intimate since before the holiday. You had been so busy with work and Sans had been picking up extra hours; you were both just too tired. The flare in your loins reminded you of just how long it had been; how much wasted time.

“Please.”  You whispered, eager to make up for lost time. Sans bent down, his cyan tongue glowing behind his raunchy smile, and licked a strip up your thigh to your quickly swelling cock. With a sharp intake of air, you spread your legs further as Sans knelt on the floor with his elbows on the mattress to have better access to your cock.   

“I love getting on my knees for you.” Sans longingly whispered, the tip of his cyan tongue outlining your length with barley-there touches. You squirmed in his hands, your eyes rolling to the back of your head when Sans _finally_ pressed his tongue firmly against the thick vein on the underside of your cock. 

Fuck, _his voice_. His voice was incredible; soothing, deep, so arousing that it was enough to cause your cock to twitch with a simple phrase.

“ _Saaaaaahhhhhhns_ ~!” You moaned, the back of your head hitting the bed and your hands coming up to grasp Sans’ skull as he took as much of your cock into his mouth as he could. He suckled strongly on the head of your dick, how he did you had no clue, before he slid his tongue across the slit with a loud moan.

“So beautiful.” Sans uttered, his eyes switching from staring at your throbbing cock to your blushing and panting face. You looked enraptured; and Sans would give his last dollar if he could keep you like this forever. “So utterly gorgeous. Can I keep going?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, Sans…oh my god, don’t stop!” You rambled, your legs shaking as Sans threw them over his shoulders. A burning coil in your stomach began to twist and twirl as Sans toyed with your desire, easily making cries fall from your lips.

“Good…. _good_.” Sans grumbled, moving back up to roughly circle his tongue around the head of your cock before bobbing back down. You couldn’t help but thrust wildly into his mouth, your moans louder than Sans’ lustful laughing.

Stars bloomed behind your eyes as a single, magical spit slicked, finger slid into you.

“ _So good_. You okay, baby?” Sans whispered, taking his mouth away from your cock to look up at you. He didn’t want to push your limits. He wanted nothing more than to make you cum, and he would do it in any way you wanted.

“So good, the-the best! Sans, _pleaaase_ ~” You begged, delirious and wanting more of Sans. Sans smirked, adding another finger alongside the first and sliding them deeper into you. He bent his head back down to wrap his tongue around your cock again and hum. His free hand bounced between massaging your balls and stroking whatever of your length he couldn't swallow. Filled with euphoria, you weren’t sure whether to buck down into Sans’ hands or hump up into his mouth.

Sans was everywhere; he was everything.

“Oh!” Sans gasped, a carnal smile crossing his face. “I know that feeling… _hmmm_ , I do know that feeling, baby boy, I do.”

Smirking down at where his fingers were, Sans sped up the pace, enjoying the lewd moaning noises coming from you as his fingers vigorously hit your prostate. That meant you were hard, incredibly hard, all because of him… _for him._ Sans recalled the feeling; the tightening of your velvet walls around his fingers, the feeling of you almost about to cum.

“Can you come for me?” Sans stood, hovering over you and nipping your closest nipple with his teeth. “Please? I want to feel you tighten around me. I need to feel you come in my hand, babe, it gets me so worked up.”

You gasped, his voice and the passionate things he was saying sent blistering lust burning up your spine and into your groin. The coil in your lower stomach was becoming impossible to control.

“SANS!” You screamed, one hand grabbing the bedspread and the other grabbing the back of your lover’s vertebrae.

Sans smiled as the coil inside you erupted almost violently. You shook, your entire body convulsed as your cock erupted and your back arched off the bed. Sans was a little worried that you would snap in half. He kept slowly thrusting two of his fingers into your spasming passage, loving the way your muscles squeezed him.

“There we go.” Sans whispered softly, milking you through your orgasm. “Good…was that good baby?”

Unable to form words and gasping for air, you nodded. Sans laughed, crawling into bed and rolling onto his back. He hefted you onto his torso, your burning skin warming up against his clothed chest.

With his hand, Sans began to slowly rub your back and kneed the backs of your quaking thighs and ass. You felt an uncomfortable wetness against your stomach, but you were far too exhausted to move an inch.

“I love you, babe.” Sans whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind your ear. “Love you so much. I don’t know what I’d do if you were mad at me.”

Murmuring an ‘I love you’ and ‘I forgive you’, you nestled yourself into Sans’ strong and sturdy body. Your handsome skeleton chuckled, both this hands running down your back to grab two handfuls of your bare ass.

_Cheeky bastard._

“Actually, I do know what I’d do if you were mad.” Sans hummed, adjusting your body so that you were more comfortable on top of him. “I would take the rest of time to make it up to you. You mean…so much to me, babe.”

“Time and space?” You mumbled, squeezing Sans’ shoulder. “Do I mean time and space?”

Sans smirked, squeezing you to his chest. “Babe, you’re so much more. You’re time, space, the stars, everything. And I _plan-et_ to show you how much I love you every day for the rest of-”

“The rest of time?” You offered, sensing Sans’ nervousness. Sans smiled, cocking his head down to press a loving kiss to your sweaty forehead.

“The rest of time, babycakes. You and me.”


	29. Grillbys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/
> 
> If you're interested, I've made a little collection of Undertale drabbles! I take requests (within reason) so feel free to pop over there and take a look: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5378651/chapters/12423131

Grillby’s was a few blocks away from the apartment, the sign outside lit up with orange lights. It looked like your average pub; large clear windows which revealed warm colored wooden tables, booths, and a full bar. You were wearing the pants, shirt, and jacket that Sans had left on the bed; a black and studded outfit that was comfortable, yet sexy. It made you feel dangerous and a little bit of a badass.

Badasses cry at the end of The Fox and The Hound, right?

 _Totally_.

The group of the night consisted of yourself, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Toriel, Asgore, and Alphys. Toriel was a little nervous about bringing Frisk out to the pub, but Sans promised that his friend ran a clean restaurant where Frisk would be safe.

Stepping through the heavy wooden door, your senses were filled with the amazing scents of wood, good food, and…was that…smoke? The entire bar smelled like one of those campfire scented candles.

Your eyes then found the main source of light for the bar; which was the bartender. They were tall, impeccably dressed in slacks, a pristine long sleeved white button up, a silky black vest, black arm garters, and a black apron tied around his waist. The bartender’s entire body looked to be flames, or maybe his form was engulfed in flames?

How weren’t his glasses melting off his face?

Sans, who was happily greeting everyone in the pub, grabbed you by the hand and held tight. He tugged you around from table to table, introducing you to a variety of monsters, who seemed excited to meet you.

“Who’s this?” A question that was asked at least ten times, was now being asked by a wide-eyed bird monster with shiny purple feathers.

And Sans, as he had answered every time, responded: “This is _________, _my boyfriend_.”

It made you blush and caused a happy feeling to swirl in your chest. 

After making it through the throng of monsters, Sans pulled you up to the bar. Sitting beside each other on the barstools, Sans sent a lazy wave towards the fire-elemental bartender, who was tending to a customer a few seats down.

 The fire-elemental came over, the fire that made up his body crackling like kindling as he walked with perfect posture. He stopped in front of you, cocking his head to the side.

“__________, this is my bud Grillby.” Sans introduced with an excited smile on his skull. “Grillbz, this is ____________.”

You were shocked. Usually the owner of restaurants or pubs didn’t work as the bartender or server. You only spied two other servers; a green flame elemental monster and a large mouse-like monster. For such a packed place, they seemed a little light-handed on staff.

Grillby smiled, a small curve in the flames that made up his face. “So…this is the one I’ve heard so much about.”

Grillby’s voice was smooth and smoky; the sound a flame makes as it is blown out by a dry wind. It warmed your bones and caused an instant smile on your face. Intrigued, you bent over the lip of the bar and smirked at the fire-elemental.

“What have you heard?” You asked, cocking your eyebrow at the monster. “We haven’t been together long, and Sans is already complaining about me.”

Sans laughed, crossing his arms over the bar and hiding his face in them. Grillby chuckled, picking up a glass from the rack and began to dry it with a clean rag. “Nothing bad. All good.”

It seemed like Grillby was a person of few words.

Grillby asked you what you wanted, telling you that the only thing on the menu for now were burgers and fries, both human and monster versions. He didn’t bother to ask Sans for his order. When you shot Sans a confused expression, your skeletal boyfriend shrugged. “Grillbz knows what I like.”

Grillby came back with your order and a plate of fries for Sans. He slid a bottle of ketchup towards Sans before going to check up on the other customers at the bar. The food was great, and you spied the rest of your group around the bar, chatting amongst the other monsters. There was a human or two, but monsters were the main proprietors.

The monster in the seat next to you was vaguely familiar for some reason. They were a tall, slender wood-elemental monster with bark-like skin, mossy green hair, and neon yellow eyes. She was drinking what looked like a mixed soda drink, twirling the straw around with her elegantly long finger.

“Excuse me?” You asked, smiling at the elemental when she turned to face you. “I don’t mean to bother you, but…is your name…Ella? Or something like that?”

The elemental smiled, nodding her head. “I’m Ellonetta.”

“Oh!” You gasped, making the elemental look at you in worry. That name! She was the girlfriend of the manager of the movie theatre! “Your boyfriend works at the movies! He’s a really good person! He helped me out when some jackass was messing with my friends.”

Ellonetta beamed, the yellows of her eyes glowing like sunshine. She thanked you and rattled off about how sweet her boyfriend was and how she recalled him telling her about having to fire an employee for untoward behavior towards customers.

Sans, who had been listening quietly, reached across the bar and offered Ellonetta his hand. “I’m Sans.”

The three of you struck up a conversation, about different restaurants and places that seemed monster-friendly thought the city. Halfway through the conversation, Toriel called out for you. Turning around, you spied your beautiful neighbor waving you over. Excusing yourself, you left Sans and the beautiful Ellonetta alone at the bar.

“Hey.” Sans said, looking up at the slender beauty. “Can you thank your boyfriend for me? For…for being so helpful.”

Ellonetta smiled, but nodded. Sans smiled back. “Good.”

The two monsters chatted, talking about how different the Underground was from the Aboveground. Ellonetta used to work as a gardener in the capitol, and had been a little wary to leave her flowers. She, like Sans, had been born far after the war. The Underground was everything they had ever known.

Across the pub, you sat with Toriel, Frisk, and a purple furred, large breasted bunny rabbit monster. The rabbit’s name was Laurel, and she had told you that she had once owned a small shop in the town where Sans and Papyrus had lived.

“Aren’t you worried?” Laurel asked, her cute button nose twitching.

“Of?” You asked, taking a small sip of your drink. You glanced down at Frisk, who was seated between Toriel and yourself. Their head was starting to bob, trying with all their determination to fight off sleep. It looked like they were about to fall asleep.

Laurel sniffed, straightening the straw hat atop her head. “Of leaving Sans with that _woman_.”

Woman? You glanced towards the bar, where Sans was chatting with Ellonetta. “Nah. That’s Ellonetta, she’s really cool-”

“She’s going to try and steal your man.” Laurel huffed, glancing towards the wood-elemental with a distrustful stare. “Girls like _her_ …well, you know.”

No, you didn’t know. Ellonetta was sweet and nothing but kind. She wasn’t trying to ‘steal’ anything, she was just sitting at the bar drinking. You were the one that initiated a conversation with her; not the other way around.

“Nope. I don’t.” You said shortly, hoping that Laurel would take the hint and change the subject. You didn’t like when women talked down other women for no reason. Ellonetta wasn’t bothering you. And so what if she flirted with Sans; you felt comfortable enough in your relationship to know that he wouldn’t stray.

You trusted Sans.

 


	30. Trust and Another Shower*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Nudity, drunkenness, and some nice drunken puke!
> 
> My Tumblr: http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Sans could hear everything you were saying. Being made of hollow bones, Sans had learned to use that _(and his magic)_ to his advantage to throw his voice at times and listen in on peoples conversations from yards away.

Snorting into his bottle of ketchup, Sans rolled his pin pricks in his eye sockets. He never liked Laurel, the Snowdin shopkeeper. She always had her twitchy nose in everybody’s business and was looking for the hottest gossip. In a small town like Snowdin, that was how you made bad blood.

Ellonetta glanced back at the table where you were sitting. “You keep watching him?” She questioned, watching your booth worriedly.

Humming, Sans placed his ketchup bottle down onto the bar with a loud bang. “Yeah. See that rabbit he’s sittin’ with? That’s Laurel. Nosey jackrabbit is trying to tell ___________ that you and I are foolin’ around.”

Chuckling, the wood-elemental slapped the bar in mirth. Clearing her throat and pursing her lips, Ellonetta patted his back. “Don’t worry about her. You’re happily with your human, and I am elated with mine. We know what we are up to. Laurel does not. Her opinion does not matter.”

Feeling a bit better, Sans agreed and went back to chatting and picking at his food. You were smarter than to fall for petty rumors. As he heard your dismissal and short words, and he could tell that oh _you did not like Laurel_. A small smirk crossed his face.

Back at your booth, Toriel took the hint and steered the conversation towards her own shop, which was beginning to flourish. More humans were coming to her store and giving her business instead of coming in to gape at her. Her crafts and wares were being sold in record numbers and she was beginning to struggle keeping up with demand!

A few more conversations rolled around the table. When ten o’clock rolled around, Frisk was asleep with their head tucked into the crook of your arm. Toriel had gone to fetch Asgore, who was chatting up some armored guard dogs along with Undyne.

Picking up Frisk in your arms was easy, the kid barley weighed more than ninety pounds. You walked over to the bar and nudged Sans with your hip. He turned away from Ellonetta and Grillby with a small smile on his face.

“Big boss is done for the night. I’m gonna head back with Tori and Asgore. You coming or staying?” You asked, balancing Frisk in your arms. Was the kid snoring? Oh god, they were too cute.

Sans nodded, slapping some money on the bar before hopping off his barstool. “I’m comin’, babe. Hey Grillbz, can I start up a new tab here?”

Grillby snorted, taking Sans dirty plate off of the bar top. “Once you close your tab from the Underground, you can.”

Laughing, the two of you bid goodbye to Ellonetta and Grillby. Toriel, Asgore, yourself, Frisk, and Sans chose to go home and rest for work. Undyne and Alphys talked Papyrus into staying a little longer at the pub with them and promised that they would drop him off at the apartment in a few hours.

Your small group strolled back to the apartment building without an issue and greeted the drowsy looking door man in the main lobby. With Frisk still in your arms, the group got into the elevator and rode the lift up to your floor.

“Thank you, __________.” Toriel whispered as you gently transferred Frisk into their mother’s arms. The child fussed for a moment before settling down into their mother’s soft fur.

“No problem.” You said, pulling your door keys out of your back pocket. “I’ll see you all outside for the bus tomorrow?”

Toriel smiled and nodded. It had become a nice little morning tradition for you to see the little family waiting for Frisk’s school bus. You took a minute or two to start your day with a kind word from Toriel, a giggle from Frisk, and a warm smile from Asgore.

Seeing them really made your mornings more bearable.

Parting ways, you and Sans went into your apartment and left the door unlocked for Papyrus. Shedding your outer layers, you headed off to the shower. As much as you found yourself loving Grillbys, you left the pub smelling like smoke.

In the bathroom, you began to strip when a soft knock made you glance up. Sans stood in the open doorway, a small smile on his face and his fingers tapping sharply on the wooden doorframe.

“Looking for a partner?” Sans asked shyly, tugging at the zipper of his jacket.

“Please, babe.” You smirked, throwing off your last article of clothing. Strutting over to your lover, you began tugging off his clothes and tossing them to the tile floor. Once you were both undressed, you went to the shower and turned the water on.

Boney hands slid around you to cup your hips. Sans pressed into you from behind, his ribs pressing firmly against your back. Your ass molded into the curve of his empty hip bones. Sans pressed a kiss to the back of your neck.

“Tired, baby boy?” Sans asked quietly, his deep voice a hot whisper against your skin.

Nodding, you turned your head to meet Sans’ mouth with yours. Sans tried to put all his love, all his wanting, and all his devotion into the kiss. You could tell this kiss was different; hotter, and yet less…sex driven. This was smooth and loving. Like a hot wash of love and tenderness.

“Yeah.” You sighed, pulling away from the kiss. Sans smiled, nudging you into the hot spray of water. “I had a good time tonight. Grillby is really nice.”

Sans smiled, reaching out to grab the shampoo bar that he had seen you use before. It meant a lot to him that you liked Grillby. The fire-elemental was one of Sans’ closet friends. He was happy that you felt secure in the relationship.

That was all he ever wanted; for you to feel happy and secure. 

With the shampoo suds were washed out of your locks and the suds running down your form, Sans followed their trails with his fingers. Feeling your wet skin was mesmerizing to him; it felt like silk. The touches weren’t sexual; they were loving and exploratory. You felt safe in Sans’ hands as he took the chance to explore your body.

Turning to face him, you ran your hands down his clavicles and scapulars. His bones, wet and soapy, were slick to the touch of your searching fingertips. His body, held together with magic, twitched and arched to your touch; arching towards you when the touch was pleasing and leaning away with the touch was too much.

You giggled when Sans tried to pump some of your body wash into his hand, only to have it slink through his boney fingers. Shooting you a bemused glance, he carefully pumped the body wash into his cupped palm. Starting at your shoulders, Sans scrubbed his way down your back, massaging your spine and hips.  

You snagged the bottle of MTT brand soap that was oddly labeled ‘attraction slime’, which was colored a glittery green, and poured some into your palm. You began soaping up Sans, carefully lathering each crevice and bone with the glittering soapy goo. Sans groaned whenever your hands glanced over a sensitive area.

The hot water washed away the suds that covered your bodies. Your hair was twisted dry and stuck out in different directions, Sans stuck his hand out of the shower to grab the towels that you had set out. Sans grabbed one of the towels and dabbed off your face tenderly before he began to gently pat you dry. In turn, you began running a towel across Sans’ body, being cautious not to miss any droplets in his curves and caverns.

“Bed?” Sans asked, warmly wrapping the towel around your shoulders. Tired, you followed Sans to his bedroom. Dropping the towel, you found yourself too tired to put on any sleepwear. While Sans was finishing drying himself off, you slid your naked body into his sheets.

“Hmm.” Sans hummed in surprise. “I…am _not_ going to ever complain about this.”

Giggling, you scooted over to give Sans a little room to scoot into bed. “Good. You did make it up to me pretty well.”

Sans slid up to you, wrapping his arms around you. “I haven’t finished making it up to you. I’m really sorry again, babe. You have done nothing but help Pappers and I. I promise-”

You cut off Sans with a tender smootch. Pulling away, you ran your thumb across the bottom of his mandible. “Babe. Let it go. I forgave you when you apologized the first time. Don’t hold this over your head. Everyone does things they’re not happy with.”

Sans frowned. “I want to show you how unhappy I am with the way I treated you.”

“Then do that by trying not to treat me like that again.” You chuckled, nuzzling your face into the side of the pillow that smelled like Sans; tomatoes, old books, and musk. “Actions speak louder than words. Even though you are _very good_ with your actions.”

“What can I say? I’m _San_ -onymous with romance.” He chuckled, grabbed the sheet and tucking it over your under dressed bodies. Sans hands caressed your naked skin before one hand settled on your hip and the other on your ribs just under your pecs.

Sleep came to Sans easily, within minutes. He was snoring away, his grin pressed into the warm skin of your shoulder. You, on the other hand, could not find sleep, but you were very content to lie in Sans arms and appreciate the moment.

_Clank clank._

Confused, you pushed yourself up with your elbow.

_Shuck. Clank._

What in fresh hell was that?

Pushing yourself up to sit, Sans grumbled as his hand fell from your bare chest. The strange noises became insistent and it sounded like someone was…trying to open your front door.

Not wanting to alert Sans, you slid out of bed. Sans hoodie was thrown across the back of your desk chair and you quietly slipped it over your shoulders and zipped it to cover your naked body. Grabbing a wooden baseball bat, which had been an apartment warming gift from your friend, you crept into the hallway.

Sans had left on a few lights for when Papyrus came home, and you were extremely thankful for his forethought. With the bat clutched tightly between your hands, you made your way towards the front door.

“Huh.” You said, dropping the bat to the ground beside you when you found Alphys and Undyne practically carrying a drunken Papyrus.

A very… _very_ drunken Papyrus.

The couple were at each of Papyrus’ side their arms thrown over their shoulders for support. His booted feet were stumbling with every step, and a drunken orange haze covered his cheekbones.

“Oh my god…” You said once your sleep addled brain caught up with reality. “Here, let’s get him on the couch.”

You rushed over to the trio and helped Alphys and Undyne settle the very intoxicated skeleton onto the couch. Papyrus groaned, laying his head back onto the arm rest. He began to unbutton his coat…well, more like he attempted.

“H-huuuuma…__-________.” Papyrus hiccupped, glancing towards you hazily. His gloved hand struggled to find your shoulder, but once he did, he grasped your shoulder tight enough for you to wince. “I…I love _everything_.”

Oh great, Pap was a love drunk.

“Everything..ex- _except_ that f-fucking calculator!”

Okay, Pap was somewhat of a love drunk. Just a little bitter, too.

Alphys sighed, shamefully shaking her head while Undyne helped Papyrus unbutton his coat.

“We had a few drinks earlier in the night, but some old friends from the Underground started buying us drinks after you left.” Undyne said, running her hand over Papyrus’ forehead. “Big bones here drank a kiddie pool worth of booze.”

Papyrus, for seemingly no reason, began to cry…loudly.

“Oh fuck.” Undyne said, kneeling down by the couch beside you. Alphys scurried over and hung over the back of the couch, worriedly looking down at Papyrus.

“It’s okay, Paps.” Undyne said, gently caressing Papyrus’ forehead. “Everything’s gonna be alright, big guy.”

Shaking his head, Papyrus’ orange tears slid down his skull in rivers. Quickly getting to your feet, you went into the kitchen to pour him a glass of water. Paps would need to drink some water to hydrate before passing out or else he’d be in a universe of hurt tomorrow.

Returning to the living room, you found the couple trying to calm the distraught skeleton down. He was now sitting up, his arms wrapped around Alphys, sobbing into her shoulder. Undyne sat on his other side and was rubbing his back to calm him down. You sat on the low table in front of him, getting eye level with Papyrus.

“Pappers, you need to drink something.” You said softly. Papyrus pulled away from Alphy’s shoulder, sniffling and wiping away his tears with the back of his palm.

“Why? I don’t w-wanna drink any-anything.” Papyrus’ voice was hoarse. “Unless you…have m-more of that…fire water.”

Fire water?

Confused, you glanced over at Undyne who looked like she was trying to hold back her laughter. “Grillby was making him cherry vodka sodas.”

Ah…fire water.

“Well, this isn’t fire water. This is _magic_ water.” You wagged your eyebrows while holding out the glass of water to a now curious Papyrus. “This will…increase your…hp.” You pulled a random ability out of thin air. “It will help you with your…uh..your-”

“Your training!” Undyne added, knowing that you were attempting to trick Papyrus into drinking the water.

It was a trick for his own benefit.

Quick as a whip, Papyrus snatched the glass from your hands and drank it with one go. Horrified, you reached forwards to try and take the glass from him. It was a horrible idea for a drunken person, or anyone in reality, to chug that much water that quickly. It could cause discomfort, really bad cramps, or even-

_BLEUGH!_

A fountain of vomit showered over you. You were soaked from head to knee and a cynical part of your mind thanked the gods that you had closed your mouth. Wiping away the puke from your eyes, you let a handful of colorful curses fly out of your mouth.

“Goddamnit it, Papyrus!” Undyne yelped, barley dodging away from becoming soaked like you. At least most of the puke was alcohol. Papyrus, his eyes tearing up again, began to bawl his eyes out and apologize. You felt bad.

“It’s…alright, Pappers.” You said, slowly standing. God, Sans’ jacket was soaked and was sticking to your skin very uncomfortably. Ew! Walking made it worse! You waddled towards the bathroom, hoping that Undyne and Alphys could take care of Pap long enough for you to shower up.

Sans, who you assumed was still in dream land, was woken up by Undyne’s loud shout after Papyrus got sick. Your skeletal boyfriend pulled on a pair of sweatpants, your Hogwarts sweatpants, and came out of the bedroom to investigate.

Lucky for him, he came out of the bedroom just in time to see you waddle into the laundry room.

“Babe?” Sans called, confused. “What…what’s going on? Why-eh! You _smell_ -”

Sans froze when you shot him a grumpy look.

“Like flowers. Like _wonderful, handsome_ flowers that haven’t rolled around in garbage.” Sans scrambled to save his skin…well, he would have saved his skin if he had any.

“Nice save.” You huffed, unzipping the vomit soaked hoodie. “Papyrus is drunker than a skunk. He got sick.”

Sans’ amused grin quickly transformed into a worried grimace. Without another word, Sans rushed down the hallway to his brother. You felt relieved. Sans would know how to take care of Papyrus better than anyone else.

In the small hallway laundry room, you tossed your boxers and Sans’ hoodie into the wash and poured in the soap. You put the setting on ‘heavy duty’ and checked the hallway for witnesses before hurriedly running, ass naked, into the bathroom.

Flicking on the bathroom lights, you jumped into the shower and began to scrub. God, this was one of the grossest things that you could remember happening to you. You used at least a quarter of your body wash and had scrubbed your skin until it was bright pink. While Papyrus had missed your hair, you couldn’t help but wash that twice as well.

Wrapped in a towel, you went back into your bedroom to get dressed. Wearing a pair of comfortable sweatpants (where were your favorite Hogwarts sweatpants?) and one of Sans’ baggy tank tops, you went back out into the living room.  

Alphys and Undyne must have left while you were in the shower, as only the skeleton brothers were the ones in the living room.  Papyrus’ head was in Sans’ lap, where Papyrus was sobbing into. Through his hiccups and tears, you could make out ‘Mettaton’, ‘hates’, ‘nothing’, ‘somebody’, and ‘agent’.

Sans, seeing you, frowned up at you. Poor thing looked so lost. He cradled his sobbing baby brother, rocking him slowly. Once you got closer, you could hear a faint…whistling. It sounded sweet, like soft wind chimes or a harp. It was coming from Sans. He was taking deep breaths, and the sweet whistling was the air traveling around his bones. It was like a skeleton’s version of humming, you assumed.

“Does he need any painkillers? What the monster cure for hangovers?” You asked. Would painkillers even help him? Papyrus had no organs or blood to absorb the drugs.

“They’ll work, but…I have some monster stuff that will work better. Can you go into the third cabinet, towards the back of the top shelf. It’s going to be a small silver container. MTT Clear Up.” Sans asked, probably not wanting to let go of his brother.

Nodding, you jogged into the kitchen and began searching the cabinet. You found the small can, which looked like a twist container for lotion, and brought it back to Sans. Opening up the container with a twitch of his jaw, Sans stuck his fingers in. Scooping the silver goo out, Sans began gingerly rubbing it into the bone of Papyrus’ forehead.  

Soothed by whatever medicine and magic was in the MTT Clear Up, Papyrus slowly stopped crying. He fell asleep on Sans’ lap, whimpering a little in his sleep.

“I don’t know how I can fix this.” Sans frowned, his voice sounding so small. Ever since Sans has been getting better, his voice now was usually so calm and confident. Hearing him sound so lost; it broke your heart.

“Papyrus will get better, bone boy. I know it doesn’t seem like it now. He’s got a broken heart, baby. It’ll heal on its own in time.” You tried to soothe him. Sans nodded, still a little worried. “Do you want to sleep out here or do you want to move to his room?”

Sans thought about it for a moment before deciding to camp out on the couch with his brother. You got them pillows and blankets and put a small garbage pail close by. Sans gave you a curious look.

“In case he gets sick… _again_.” You deadpanned, seeing the amused look from your lover. “Oh, you think it’s funny?”

Sans chuckled, tucking Papyrus in tightly. “C’mon, babe. It is a little funny.”

You tried to hold a straight face, but you quickly broke. “Okay…it’s a little bit funny.”

Pressing a kiss to Sans’ forehead, you left the brothers alone in the living room. You went back to bed in Sans’ room, curled under the sheets.

You did wake up a few hours later to the loud sounds of retching and Sans’ shout.

“C’MON! THE BUCKET WAS RIGHT THERE! YOU HAD TO PASS THE BUCKET TO GET TO ME!”

Giggling, you cuddled back up to Sans’ pillow. It wasn’t ‘a little bit funny’ when _he_ was the one getting puked on.

 


	31. Training and Two Bedrooms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
>  
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

You were in paradise, you were sure of it. Maybe you had died in your sleep and now were in heaven. You were on a gorgeous white sand beach at sunset, surrounded by cute little puppy dogs and lounging on a large soft cushion.

Feeling the smooth grains of sand between your toes, you began to feel… _empty_.  

Oddly, you felt cold and alone, even though you were on a warm beach surrounded by all these cute puppies. Oh god, were they wearing sunglasses?

_Just adorable._

Frowning, you reached out to touch the cushion beside you. Someone was supposed to be next to you. You felt alone, off kilter, and it frustrated you a little bit. Why did you feel so weird about being alone? You usually loved, no _adored_ , your alone time.

With a breeze of sea air, sand blew into your eyes. Yelping, you reached your hands up to try and wipe away the grains. The beach around you began to waver, like the distant air on a stifling hot day. Blinking, the beach was transformed back into Sans’ bedroom.

Shit. You were asleep.

Groaning, you plopped your head back down onto the pillow, trying to will yourself back onto the puppy beach. Glancing to your side, you noticed that Sans’ side of the bed was empty and the coverings there were undisturbed. Sans had spent all night in the living room with Papyrus. Huh…that was why you felt strangely alone.

It boggled your mind to realize that a few weeks of sleeping besides Sans has spoiled you.

Speak of the devil, Sans pushes open his door and tromps into the bedroom. He’s got one of his hoodies balled up in his hands and an exhausted frown on his face. Sans manages to conjure a small smile your way.

“Mornin’ babe.” Sans said, coming over to press a toothy kiss to the crown of your head. “Could you go sit with Pappers for a minute while I shower?”

Humming in agreement, you pushed yourself out of bed. Sans chuckles at your sleep lagged movements, wrapping his arms around your waist to hold you. Your thighs brushed Sans’ hipbones and you didn’t bother to hide your groan. Sans laughed at you as you rested your forehead against his shoulder.

With a playful swat on your ass, Sans sent you out into the hallway. You stumbled down the hallway, preparing yourself for the hangover horror that you might witness. You steeled yourself for another possible vomit shower.

To your relief, Papyrus was splayed across one of the couches, holding his arm over his eye sockets to block the light. Pitying the poor skeleton, you went around the living room and kitchen shutting all the curtains. Papyrus sighed out a thank you quietly…huh…you didn’t even know that Papyrus could whisper.

Going into the kitchen, you pulled out a bottle of orange Gatorade from the fridge and got two pills of pain killers out of the medicine cabinet. You tried to be as quiet as possible, but the cabinet door shut with a little bang, which caused a groan from Papyrus.

“Poor Pappers.” You winced as you went back into the living room and sat on the low table. You handed Pap the painkillers, which he swallowed in one gulp before taking a tentative sip of the sports drink all without removing his arm from covering his eye sockets.

“Can I get you anything, Pap?” You whispered, rubbing your fingers across his sweaty forehead bone. Sighing, Papyrus shook his head. “Is it still too bright for you?”

Papyrus cringed. “I…the great Papyrus…cannot look at you.”

Frowning, you scooted closer to your boney brother. “Why not?”

“You hate me…I regurgitated poisoned magic and partly reverted alcohol onto you…”  Papyrus whimpered, still refusing to look at you. Oh, the poor thing was embarrassed. You’d been there and you understood.

“I don’t hate you, Pap.” You promised, gently grasping his ulna and pulling it away from his eye sockets. “You weren’t;…well, you weren’t _you_. Nothing you did last night was your fault…but maybe you should drink a little less next time.” 

Papyrus, still looking a little bashful, slowly nodded. He winced when he moved his skull, so you hushed him and told him to settle down. He shouldn’t be getting up until he was a little more hydrated and ate something light. You didn’t want Pap passing out or falling down and hurting himself.

You heard the water in the shower turn off, signaling that Sans was finished showering. Papyrus glanced worriedly towards the bathroom door with a grimace. You held his hand and squeezed the bones.

“Sans isn’t mad at you either. He was very worried when you stumbled in last night.” You said quietly. “How about I make you some toast.”  

Papyrus shrugged, eye sockets still trained on the bathroom door. You knew that Sans would be coming out soon and would like to stay with Pap. Thankfully, it was your day off, but Sans had to be at work in an hour or so.

Once in the kitchen, you plugged in the toaster and slid two slices of bread into the slits. Getting the butter out of the fridge and the container of cinnamon-sugar out of the cupboard, you heard Sans shuffle into the living room.

“Papyrus.” Sans voice was stern. “You know enough to never, never pull this stunt again, right?”

“Yes, brother.” Papyrus sighed sadly. “I thought…I could handle drinking as much as Undyne and Alphys.”

“I know, bro. But those two have been drinking for longer than you. It’s just like training-”

“So I should train to be a better drinker?”

“NO!” Sans yelped, causing Papyrus to groan in agony. “No drinking training! You can drink, but not to this extent ever again. Okay?”

You forced down a small chuckle at the mental image of Papyrus training to drink like Undyne. You felt a lava-hot glare on your back; most likely Sans. You were slowly beginning to understand that Sans had some kind of crazy awesome bat-like hearing. The toast popped out of the toaster, so you were quick to lightly butter the toast and sprinkle it with cinnamon-sugar.

“Now…I’ve taken off today for work.” Sans said. “Don’t give me that look. You scared me magicless last night!”

Figuring that Sans had chewed his brother out enough, you plated Papyrus’ light breakfast and went over to give him the toast. Papyrus slowly accepted the plate, taking a small bite.  

“You’re not going into work?” You asked, smiling at Sans as he nodded. “I’ll make you some toast, too.”

Before Sans could say no, you whisked back into the kitchen. You wanted to make yourself some toast too; the smell of cinnamon-sugar was making your stomach rumble. When the slices of bread were being toasted, you flicked on the small coffee maker for Sans. There wasn’t one morning when Sans didn’t have coffee. You were pretty sure his magic ran on caffeine.

As you were sprinkling the cinnamon-sugar onto the toast, a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. You hummed, pressing back into Sans’ torso as he wrapped around you. His mouth found a place at your neck, where he kissed up to the back of your ear.

“Hey, hey, hey there bone boy.” You giggled, feeling more awake, as he nosed at your ear. “I heard we had a similar…incident last night.”  

Scowling into your shoulder, Sans huffed. “Watch yourself.”   

“Aw, what’s wrong, baby? Didn’t you give Pap the right to _ill_?”

“That was horrible. That was the worst. That’s it, we’re breaking up.” Sans groaned, hiding his face in your shoulder. You laughed at how broken Sans sounded.

Turning around in Sans arms, you wrapped yours around his shoulders. Sans slumped into you, burying his face in your shoulder and muttering hopelessly to himself. “C’mon, bone boy, don’t be like that.”

“Give me a kiss and I’ll consider forgiving you.” Sans murmured. Chuckling, you took Sans’ chin with your thumb and brought his face up for better access. You pressed a slow kiss to Sans’ mouth, cocking your head to the side to try and take control of the kiss. You planned on showing Sans how much you loved him and wanted to kiss him breathless as he did to you.

Pulling away, Sans was breathing heavily. The white pin pricks in his eyes had turned into two little cute blue hearts. “Woah.”

“Mhm.” You hummed, kissing Sans between his eye sockets. “They’ll be more for you later.”

Pushing a plate of cinnamon-sugar toast into his hands, you grabbed your own breakfast before sauntering into the living room. Sans was left awestruck in the kitchen, eyes following your ass when you walked.

You had no clue what your words did to him. Sans’ magic burned through his bones like a hellish fire. He could feel his left eye begun to pulse, as it did whenever his emotions went out of control. Clenching his teeth together, Sans steeled himself before going back into the living room.

Deep breaths, Sans…deep breaths.

Sans found you sitting beside his brother, a pitiful frown on your face. “Have you talked to _him_ since, Pap?”

Sans assumed you were talking about Mettaton, causing him to scowl. He thought that it was in Papyrus’ best interest to forget that overgrown calculator and get back on with his life. Sans wanted Papyrus to go back to his old self. He wanted to be awakened by Papyrus’ happy singing as he made breakfast, his brother eagerly asked for a bedtime story, or how his brother made his spaghetti with gusto.

Had Papyrus even made spaghetti since the break up?

 The realization that, no, Papyrus had been spaghetti free, made Sans want to hunt Mettaton down. That bucket of bolts had made his brother’s life unhappy. Sans wasn’t sure if you had talked to Mettaton since you had told him off.

“No.” Papyrus whispered. “I don’t want to…talk to him.”

You frowned, cocking your head to the side in a silent question.

“He…_________, he tossed me aside because his agent said so!” Papyrus frowned. “I don’t think he even questioned it! He just tossed me.”

“He’s gonna be the one that gets tossed.” Sans hissed under his breath as he took a seat down beside you. You gently nudged him and shot your skeletal lover a look that said ‘drop it’. You patted Papyrus’ knee.

“His loss, right Pap?” You said. Papyrus sighed brokenly, but agreed with you. The tallest skeleton ate his toast and sipped his drink quietly before going to his bedroom. The poor thing seemed so lackluster; so unlike himself.

“He’ll bounce back.” You promised, seeing the forlorn look across Sans’ face. Your boyfriend nodded, slightly not believing you, but tried to put faith in you. Sans got up and began to clean up the living room; picking up knocked over pillows, dirty napkins, and empty bottles of ketchup and water glasses.  He went into the kitchen to toss out the trash. You noticed that Sans’ laptop was sitting on the other couch, opened but resting.

Curious, you pulled the laptop over to you and ran your fingers over the pad. The screen flashed to life, revealing Sans screensaver: a picture of you and Papyrus playing in the snow together. You could just make out Frisk in the background. This picture was old, from before you and Sans had started dating.  

Warmth in your chest, you clicked on the internet button. Maybe you could browse through Netflix while Sans puttered around. You couldn’t smother your curiosity when you spied that Sans already had some pages up and running. Feeling a bit nosey, you clicked on the first page.

 _Huh_.

Houses. Sans was searching for houses. Really nice houses too! Nothing too big or gaudy, but nice little homes in decent neighborhoods. He had even made a little file where he had a few pages showing different homes saved.

“Why are you looking at houses?” You asked Sans once he came back into the living room. Sans was beside you so quickly you thought that he had teleported to you. With a nervous sweat building on his brow bone, Sans snatched the device away from you and shut it.

“Uh..w-well, we can’t live in an apartment forever. I mean, we can, but Pap and I are used to a house..ah…a little more privacy.” Sans stuttered out nervously. “I mean, we don’t have the _stomachs_ for apartment life forever.”

Frowning, you nodded. You understood. Sans and Papyrus would eventually want to move out. You just assumed that the three of you together, a family, was a more permanent thing. “Oh.”

“I mean, you’d be surprised how much two bedroom houses cost up here.” Sans rattled off, clutching his laptop. “But-”   

“Yeah.” You cut Sans off, not wanting to hear any more. Sans was going to leave you. You were a little upset about it, but you didn’t want Sans to think you were overly attached. He didn’t seem to upset about moving out of the apartment. Maybe you were smothering him…maybe he needed his space. “Hey, uh, I’m gonna go out and get some things. Do you need anything?”

Sans frowned, bewildered. “Nah, but I’ll come along.” He put his laptop back down and headed for the door.

“No, stay with Pap. I’ll uh…I’d like to go by myself. Just a little alone time, yeah?” You said, unwilling to look anywhere but into Sans’ eye sockets.

Sans frowned. He sensed that there was something wrong. He might not be able to read souls as well as Toriel could, but Sans could sense the souls of the ones he loved dearly. He could sense Papyrus the strongest, closely followed by you, and then the rest of his friends.

Your soul began to darken when he started talking about finding a home. When people became sad, their souls darkened as if an internal storm cloud was over it. Why? Did you really love this apartment this much? And why did you not want him to tag along to the store with you? You never told him you liked to shop alone before.

“Wait.” Sans said, stopping you as you tried to jam your feet into your boots. “Hold up. C’mere, babe.”

Still trying to hide your disappointment, you turned to Sans, but couldn’t face him. Sans frowned, reaching out to cup your face. The man that was unafraid to face his demons didn’t want to face him. How was he supposed to take that? Had he done something wrong again?

You glanced towards the coat rack forlornly. Soon the only coat that would be on those pegs would be your own. You’d be alone in this apartment once more. You’d still have Toriel, Frisk, and now Asgore across the hall, but it would still be different.

A light bulb flashed over Sans’ skull.

“Babe…baby, no.” Sans cooed, coming closer and taking your hand in his. He pressed a toothy kiss to your knuckles. “We’re not going anywhere. Never.”

A little embarrassed that Sans could read you so well, you blushed. Your hand clutched his, loving the feeling of smooth bones beneath your skin. “But…you and Papyrus are-”

“When I said I was looking for houses, I meant a house for all of us.” Sans said quietly, his teeth still pressed to your knuckles.

“But you said two bedroo-” You didn’t finish your sentence as realization hit you. Sans chuckled, a cyan blush of his own crossing his cheekbones.

“I did say two bedrooms.” Sans nodded. “One for Paps, and one for you and me.”  

Blushing more heavily than you could ever recall, you quietly nodded in agreement. You liked your apartment, but wouldn’t mind moving into a more homey living situation. The idea of having more privacy was enticing as well.

“Now, can I come to the store with you, babe?” Sans asked, holding out his hand for you. Still blushing, you took his outstretched hand and hauled yourself to your feet. Sans helped you into your jacket and then led you out the door.


	32. Sans Deserves Some Sweet Emotion*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut! Blow jobs, nudity, naked humping!  
> B)
> 
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Weeks passed after New Years and you soon found yourself walking into the apartment through the bitter late-January wind and cold. How much colder could it get? You didn’t dare ask that aloud as to jinx yourself. The moment you thought that, the sound of thunder crashed from outside.

 _Damnit_.

When has there ever been a thunderstorm in January?

Pushing open the main door, you greeted the security guard at his desk with a chattering smile. The guard, looking warm behind his desk with a hot mug of drink, laughed and wished you a nice day.

Remembering the last time there was a thunderstorm in which the power went out, you chose to walk up the stairs to your floor. The last thing you needed was to get trapped in the elevator. That would be your luck. You could hear hail begin to fall and pop against the roof. So you had thunder, lightning, and now hail? 

_Wonderful_.

Finally making it to your apartment door, you hurried inside in the hopes of finding dry clothes and warm blankets.

What you didn’t expect to find was Papyrus huddling in the corner of the living room, the furthest away from the windows. Sans was sitting beside him, speaking in low, soothing tones.

“What’s going on?” You asked, kicking off your shoes. A flash and bang came from outside the window. Papyrus grimaced, hiding his face in the blanket that he had huddled himself into. Sans looked up at you with a sad frown before returning to pat Pap on the shoulder.

 _Oh_.

“Paps…are you…scared?” You asked slowly, getting on your knees beside your favorite tall skeleton. It wasn’t too unreasonable to believe that the skele-brothers had not experienced a thunderstorm before.

Feigning a gasp, Papyrus shook his head. “O-of course not! The…THE GREAT PAPYRUS is scared of NOTHI-”

Papyrus cut himself off with a loud yelp when another crash of lightning came from outside. Papyrus hid himself back into his blanket, leaning into Sans for comfort. Sans wrapped his arms around his brother and shot you a small grimace.

“Pap, there’s nothing to be scared about.” You whispered, scooting closer to the taller brother. “Storms like this, they’re produced by clouds, heat, and unstable air.”

Papyrus sniffled, looking up at you with teary-eyed curiosity. “A-and what is lightning?”

“It’s an electric current. When a lot of little bits of frozen raindrops smack into each other way up in the clouds, it creates static electricity.” You struggled to explain. The last time you had taken any kind of earth science, you hadn’t paid much attention during the meteorology units. 

“Like when we rub our feet on the rug and poke-shock each other, ya’ know?” Sans said, scuffing his slipper covered feet on the rug underneath him before poking Papyrus’ shoulder. Paps yelped at the shock, but let out a chuckle.

“A-and what about the ice balls?” Papyrus asked, warily looking out the window. Getting up quickly, you went across the room and opened the window. You ran your hand across the windowsill and snagged one of the hail balls that found a home there. Pulling the ice ball inside the house, you closed the window and went back over to the skele-brothers.

You handed the ice ball over to Papyrus, who held it nervously between his fingertips. “Hail is when the rain drops in the sky are lifted up until it’s so cold that they become ice. If the droplets come together and make big enough balls of ice, they fall back down.”

Papyrus held the hail ball with a little more confidence, turning it over in his palm curiously. The ball began to melt a little, water dripping down Papyrus’ hands. He seemed intrigued. Pap passed the ice ball to Sans so he could take a look at it as well.  

“Very interesting, human!” Papyrus exclaimed, now seeming less anxious. You offered Pap your hand and helped him to his feet. You helped Sans up as well, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of his skull. Blushing, Sans went over to go sit on the couch with Papyrus.

“Hey, Sans! Why does lightening shock people?” You asked, remembering a joke that the weather man had said once.

Glancing up at you, Sans cocked his head. How was he supposed to know? He had been meaning to read up on Earth’s lower atmospheres, but he’d been too busy reading about the galaxies and stars. Sans shrugged and patted the seat next to him in an attempt to make you sit beside him.

“I don’t know babe. Wrong place and wrong time?” Sans said, hoping that you’d stop standing there and come sit with him. He was feeling the bitter cold and wanted nothing more than to have you curled up beside him. You were so warm.

“Because it doesn’t know how to _conduct_ itself!” You laughed, falling into the seat beside your boney boyfriend. A deep laugh erupted from Sans’ stomach while Papyrus groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“Aw, _hail_ no!” Sans howled in laugher, pressing his face into your hair to try and stifle himself. You could hear his bones chattering as he tried to will himself to choke back his laughter. Papyrus sighed, glancing our way with a weary look.

“What kind of shorts do clouds wear?” Papyrus whispered quietly. So quietly that you almost didn’t hear him.

“W-what kind?” You asked, shocked. Papyrus hated Fpuns and knock knock jokes. Well…that’s what he always said to you.

“ _Thunderwear_ …” Papyrus muttered with his arms crossed, as if it physically hurt him to utter the punch line. You and Sans burst into tears, rolling off the couch and hitting the carpet due to your wild laughter. Papyrus snorted, but you could see a small smile on his face.

_Yeah. He hated jokes your ass…_

* * *

__

_  
_

Frowning, you sat at your desk at work. It was a slow day and you found yourself with nothing to do. You’d been messing around on the computer; but even youtube and tumblr become boring after a while.

Letting your mind wander, assured that the office phone was loud enough to catch your attention, you thought about Sans. He’d been coming out of his shell more and you had begun to see the _real_ Sans through the cracks. You thought you couldn’t love him more before, but you were wrong. The real Sans was better than any dream.

Sure, he had flaws, but they were what made him… _him_.

You found yourself thinking about everything about him. His smile, his stupid puns, his wonderful bone structure…

A shocking realization shot through you. Mentally reenacting every sensual encounter that you and Sans had together…you had never put in as much effort as Sans did. Not that you abused him or ignored him…but you felt bad. Sans always took control and he had been the partner that did the most… _exploring_. Sans deserved to feel as loved and cherished as he made you feel when you were together.     

You thought further on this as your work day began to wind to a close. You packed your things, turned off your desktop computer, flicked off the lights, locked the doors, and made your way to the parking lot. The drive home was slowed by traffic and filled with you loudly singing along to your radio.

Once in the apartment parking lot, you walked into the building. The bitter wind blew through you, stinging your eyes and biting at your skin. Alright, you had to get inside now before the wind freeze-dried you like a raisin. You reminded yourself to pick up some lotion for your wind-burnt skin the next time you were at the shops.

Finding refuge in your toasty warm apartment, you found Sans in the kitchen, and could hear Papyrus in his bedroom. Sans was peering into the oven, his black tee shirt covered in flour. There was an empty metal mixing bowl on the counter and a tray of uncooked cookie dough balls were all rolled up and placed on a cookie sheet to be baked.

“Hey, _cookie_.” You said, coming up behind Sans and wrapping your arms around him. He jolted a little, surprised by your quiet entrance.

“What’s up, _muffin_?” Sans shot back, pulling away from the oven and closing the door. “How was work?”

“Boring.” You said dully. “How was your day, bone boy?”

Sans smiled and began regaling you about his day. Not a single customer came into the ice cream shop, so he had a slow day as well. Sans didn’t care; he was getting paid by the time he sat in that store, not by how many people came in through the doors. Papyrus, who had a slow day as well, had picked him up from work not too long ago.

“-and I decided to come home and make cake batter chocolate chip cookies.” Sans said, looking extremely pleased with himself. Before you could ask what in fresh hell was a cake batter chocolate chip cookie was, Sans reached into the small cookie tin that was on the counter and placed a cookie in your hand. It looked like a regular chocolate chip cookie, except it was a slightly lighter brown and had sprinkles mixed in with the dough.

“I added cake batter to the flour.” Sans said, patiently waiting for you to take a bite. “I saw it online. Papyrus loves ‘em.”

Confident in your boyfriend’s baking prowess, you took a tentative bite of the cookie. It was still warm from being freshly baked. It was sweet, and you could taste the sweeter taste from the addition of the cake batter.

“Wow! This is great!” You said, shoving the rest of the cookie into your mouth. “Can I have another?”

Glancing towards the cookie tin, you began your attack. Before you could shove your hand into the tin, Sans magically yanked it away from your reach. With a wave of his fingers, the cookie tin began to float and was placed on the tallest shelf that was far above your head.

“Don’t touch my cookies, ya’ freak.” Sans said, putting on a pair of oven mitts and opening the oven door to pull out the freshest batch of cookies. “ _Mitts_ off.” 

“C’mon! You’re just gonna take pictures of them on your phone and put them on instagram! You..you..you _foodie_!” You accused harshly, looking up longingly at the cookie tin. “How dare you introduce something so wonderful to my life and then _whisk_ it away.”

“Maybe if you had some _dough_ , you could have more cookies.” Sans said, setting the hot cookie sheet down on the counter and sliding the next sheet of raw cookie dough into the awaiting oven. Putting on the timer, Sans tugged off the oven mitts and jokingly tossed one your way.

“Are you trying to make me…bribe you for cookies?” You deadpanned. You were ready to sell Sans your soul to get more of those cookies. They were some of the best cookies that you’d ever had.

Sans nodded with a smug look on his face. Seeing how much you loved his creation made his soul hum happily. He liked doing nice things for you and loved seeing that spark in your eye when he hit the nail on the head.

“ _Hmm_ …I guess I could pay you somehow.” You smirked, your mind going back to what you were thinking about earlier today. This was a win-win situation. You could show Sans how much you loved him and then you would get cookies.

 _Sweet_.

Prowling, you began to close in on Sans. He had nowhere to go, really. His only way to leave the kitchen would be to go around you. Standing in front of your confused looking lover, you gently shoved him against the counter and pressed your torso to his. You moaned as you felt his rib bones pressing against your clothed chest and sensitive nipples.

“B-babe.” Sans laughed shakily. His hands came to rest on your waist. _Huh_ …when had your shirt ridden up? Sans’ hands ran over the warm skin of your hips, lower back, and lower stomach. You moaned at the feeling of his palms running over you. It felt better than the softest of fabrics on your skin. 

“ _Mhm_?” You hummed, nuzzling your nose into the vertebrae of Sans’ neck. _Hmm_..he smelled good. His usual scent of tomatoes, old books, and musk was covered by the scent of cookies and sugar.

“W-what are you…you do know that…what?” Sans uttered worriedly, glancing down the hall to Papyrus’ room. He would love nothing more than to rip your clothes off you and worship you right where he stood, but his brother was still here. He didn’t want Papyrus to walk in on any of your sexscapades.

“Depends…on what you want.” You whispered. C’mon, _________, keep your confidence up. Don’t chicken out now when you have Sans right where you want him.

Sans felt like his magic was about to burst. Every pore of his bones was exuding magic, making the air in the kitchen feel heavy. He couldn’t take his eye sockets off your mouth; how it moved as you pursed your lips. He never thought you would pull a stunt like this…

Not that he minded.

“What…what I want?” Sans asked, which came out as a whisper as you closed in on him. Your lips were mere centimeters away from his mouth. Was he shaking? _Hmm_..sweet. A smirk clear on your face, you started placing light smootches along his teeth. He couldn’t stand it, the feather light kisses. He needed some pressure…he needed to feel more of you.

“More.” Sans whispered, pressing his mouth to yours firmly. Smiling, you increased the pressure of your kiss and wrapped your arms around Sans’ neck. Your fingers trailed along the back of his skull, loving the feeling of smooth bone underneath your fingertips.

“More of _this_ , or _more_?” You asked, pressing your hips against his. Grunting, Sans nodded and took in a deep breath.

“SANS! _________!”

Like a spooked cat, you leapt off Sans and jumped across the room. Wow, you didn’t know you could jump that far! That’s gotta be a record! Sans held onto the edge of the counter, breathing heavily as he tried to compose himself.

Papyrus, the lovable rambunctious loudmouth, ran into the kitchen. He was wearing his heaviest winter coat and had a bag, which was packed to the brim, slung onto his back. “I am going to Napstablook’s!”

With that said, Papyrus stormed out of the apartment, grumbling something along the lines of: “ ‘ _cause I’m not the only one that overgrown calculator abandoned”._

“Who’s Napstablook?”You asked, still staring at the door.

“No one someone as _boo_ tiful as you need to think about right now.” Sans rasped, pulling you back into his arms. Was that a pun? Or a clue as to who Napstablook is?

Back to reality.

Your blood began to pump faster after the realization that you were alone rushed through you. The soundproofing in the apartment was decent, so you knew that you could indulge in some of Sans’ most interesting sounds now that you had the apartment to yourselves.

Grabbing your lover’s hand, you tugged him towards the hallway. He chuckled, keeping pace with your fast footsteps. You led him into your bedroom and quickly shoved Sans down onto the bed. You leered over him, pressing a heated kiss to his mouth as you unzipped his hoodie. Before Sans could question anything, you yanked down his pants and knelt between his spread legs. Sans glowing cock was already at full attention, twitching as you stared down at the magnificent piece of your boyfriend’s magical body.

With his mouth now free, Sans gasped. “What are you doing?”

You smirked up at him, gripping at his femurs tightly. “I’m loving you, bone boy. Do you want me to stop?”

Sans blushed, fisting the soft sheets beneath him. He thought you shouldn’t need to ask him for permission; there was never a time when he never _wanted_ you. You were always on his mind; sometimes more _naughty_ thoughts floated across his mind than he could help.   

Swallowing with a throat he didn’t have, Sans nodded and thrust his bare hipbones up. You could feel your mouth start to water and your skin demanded to touch more of Sans’ body. Trailing your hands up to his lower ribs, your tongue ran up the inside of his femur bone. His body tensed in surprise and his spine arched. Sans’ jaw dropped in pleasure.

“ __________...”_ Sans groaned, his spine lowering back to the bed as he grew accustom to your tongue running along his upper femur. You moved up, swiping your wet tongue against Sans’ hip joint. This socket seemed to be a rather sensitive zone, seeing as Sans groaned loudly and practically arched himself off the bed. “Stop! Don’t tease me!”

Hearing Sans’ desperate demand, you smiled up at your boyfriend. You weren’t meaning to torture him. You were just _exploring_. Sans usually dominated your intimate times together, and he had searched and was beginning to learn how to play your body like a master virtuoso. You, on the other hand, were still learning the beautiful nuances of your lover’s body.

“I’m just testing.” You smiled, shrugging your shoulders. Sans snorted. He knew you secretly loved teasing him, just as he loved pestering you.

That was love. Pestering and teasing.

Sans was shocked out of his lovey-dovey thoughts as you ran your tongue along the underside of his cock from the base to the tip. Glowing pre-come dribbled down the shaft as he groaned. Your tongue felt amazing on his cock; warm and wet. Sans’ eye sockets slammed shut with a soft click as you took the head of his cock into your mouth and swirled your tongue.

“F-fuck! So good…so…yes.” Sans floundered for words as you slowly began to swallow as much of his dick as you could. You made it halfway down his cock; there was really too much to fit the entire length into his mouth. You sucked, hallowing out your cheeks and swirling your tongue as best as you could.

Shouting, Sans arched into your mouth. Fuck. Your mouth was even better than your tongue. If your mouth was somehow tighter and hotter, Sans could have sworn your mouth would have felt like your hole whenever he fingered you.

A little too excited, you took too much of Sans’ cock. Gagging a little, you pulled away from Sans’ cock and stroked his saliva slicked shaft. Worriedly, but still shaking from your touch, Sans cupped your cheek.

“Are you ok-okay? Don’t…don’t hurt yourself.” Sans gasped, thrusting into your hand as you squeezed his shaft. God, it felt amazing in your hands. Like glass covered in the most wonderful feeling velvet. You wondered how he would feel inside of you and could feel yourself getting more excited. Your cock was straining against the zipper of your pants painfully.

“Just need more practice.” You said, making eye contact with your ravished lover before wrapping your lips back around the head of his cock. Sans groaned. You were too much. This was all too good. He wanted to get inside of you so badly, but wouldn’t until you wanted it. He didn’t want to pressure you, but he couldn’t help but think of your delicious muscles wrapped around his cock instead of around his fingers.

“Wait… _wait_ …” Sans said, feeling his orgasm approaching. “Can I…make a request?”

Unwillingly pulling away from the magnificent length, your lips made a lewd popping noise. Ignoring Sans’ agonized groan, you lent one elbow against the edge of the bed. “Depends on the request.”

“I want you…could I…r-rub against your cock?” Sans asked nervously. He wanted you on top of him, naked, and pressed as tightly together as possible. Semi-understanding what he wanted, you pulled away to undress yourself.

Bare, you stood between Sans’ spread thighs. He grabbed your hips and tugged you into his lap. With your hips hovering over his, he gently pressed your hips down. Your cocks pressed against each other, making you his. You shifted forwards a bit, dragging yourself along the underside of Sans' cock. Nervously, you jerked away from his cock when the head came a bit too close to your opening.

“I don’t want to-” You said, still too nervous to go all the way.

“No! I know! I’d never force you into anything.” Sans promised, his left eye flickering blue to yellow. “I want to…rub my cock against yours. I know you don’t want anything further.”

“So…like dry humping-” You were beginning to get the mental image of what Sans wanted.

“But without the dry.” Sans smirked, taking both your cock and his into one hand and pumped. Beads of precome dripped from both of your cocks, slicking up your combined lengths.

Feeling confident with what you were doing, you thrust into Sans' hand. Your cock slid perfectly against the slick magic of Sans'. His cock twitched and he groaned wildly. Sans' hips began rutting against yours and you set a decent pace as you gyrated against your lover. 

“Thanks you… _thaaaaank you_.” Sans growled, writhing underneath you. “Please, move..”  


Thrusting your hips forward, your cock slid faster against Sans’ cock. The magic that made up his cock was  so warm, so tingly. Looking down, the sight of your and Sans' cocks pressed together made you close your eyes and moan. It felt like heaven, your bodies pressed together erotically as the two of you wantonly thrust against each other.

“Sans… _so good_.” You moaned, leaning down to press your face into his neck. Your entrance was aching to be filled, but the heavenly stimulation of your cock and the friction of your testicles rubbing against Sans' kept you from complaining about the feeling of emptiness.

Sans was speechless, only letting out loud groans. You felt so good against his cock. He could feel your warmth and your precome slicking up his cock and making your movements all the more fluid.

“Do you…do you like this?” You asked, hovering over Sans.

“Yes!” Sans gasped, wriggling his hips to meet yours. God, how could you insinuate that he didn’t like this? He loved this. He would die for this. He would never go to Grillby’s again if it meant that he could be this close to you and pleasure you.

“I love…pleasing you. Makes me feel so good.” You whispered, your cheek pressed against his cheekbone. Sans groaned, pushing you back and holding you there. Worried that you said the wrong thing, you slowed down your bucking and sliding.

“No! Don’t stop!” Sans said frantically, thrusting up at a quicker pace. “I just wanted to…look you in the eyes when you came.”

With a new sense of determination and a fresh wave of desire, you buckled down all your weight into your knees and humped against Sans’ length with as much power and ferocity as you could muster. Sans’ groans matched your own in volume and wildness. If anyone were to walk by your door, they’d think two wild animals were going at it.

_Well…they wouldn’t be too far off._

“Oh… _there_ it is. I see it. The look in your eye. _My baby’ boy's close_ ~” Sans singsong-ed the last bit playfully, gripping into the flesh of your ass to get better leverage. You couldn’t tell him he was wrong. You felt your climax coming quick and fast.

“SANS!” You screamed, your entire body convulsing as the very world crumbled around you. Every nerve in your body was electric. You weren’t sure your body could handle this much pleasure.

From beneath you, Sans watched you come undone. Your come sprayed out against his hip bones in hot spurts. You were gorgeous; glazed eyes, flushed skin, tongue hanging out, and hair mussed beyond repair. You looked absolutely ravished, and Sans felt his cock twitch when he realized that _he_ did that to _you_.

Unable to hold back his orgasm, Sans bucked up one final time, his come spraying across his bones and your lower stomach. Fuck; seeing his light blue come mixed with yours on your skin was exhilarating; like watching fresh paint hit the most pristine canvas.

Feeling spent and exhausted, you flopped down beside your lover on the bed. The both of you were breathing heavily, even though only one of you had a pair of functioning lungs.

Sans giggled, a giddy and light hearted sound that made you feel like there were butterflies in your stomach. From your place, face down on the bed, you glanced at your ditzy boyfriend, who was hazily staring up at the ceiling.

“ _Wow_.” Sans said, blindly reaching out to grasp your hand. Once he had entwined your fingers together, Sans gently tugged you into his side and tossed his arm around you. Resting your cheek against his ribcage, which was warmer than usual, you couldn’t help but giggle along.

“Yeah…wow.”


	33. Hit Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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A few minutes after one of the most intense orgasms of your life, you felt Sans’ grip on you loosening. With a single hand, he twitched his fingers forwards, made a pulling motion with his fist, and then a pushing motion.

From the kitchen, you could hear something clicking around. Was that the oven opening and closing? You heard your oven beep as Sans made a poking motion with one of his fingers.

“Are you…are you using magic to finish baking cookies?” You asked in awe, looking up at your lover. Still flushed cyan blue, Sans shrugged and smiled.

“Would you rather have me leave you and go into the kitchen? ‘Cause I _really_ don’t want to.” Sans hummed, lowering his hand, you assumed lowering the tray of cookies onto the counter to cool. “Or I could ignore it and let our home catch fire.”

“It _is_ really cold.” You murmured, earning a chuckle from your boyfriend as you cuddled into his side. Once the cookies were taken care of, and when Sans promised you for the _third_ time that he _did_ in fact turn the oven off, did you allow yourself to go back to sleep

The two of you slept peacefully through the night, curled around each other. Sans did have a small nightmare, but it did not shake him as badly as it once did. He was able to settle back down without waking you up, which he was thankful for. He loved being able to sleep beside you and didn’t want to stress you out with his lessening nightmares.

When the winter morning sun rose and shone through the window, you were woken up. The sun found a way to somehow shine directly into your eyes. Grumbling, you crawled out of the bed. With a whine, you remembered that you had to bring your car into your mechanic today for your inspection.

Gently, you shook Sans shoulder. “Hey, babe?”

Sans grumbled, but opened up one eye socket to sleepily look at you.

“I need to bring my car into the mechanics. Can you magic-zap your bike to the shop so I can ride it back home? The cab fare will be freaking unreasonable. _Pleeeeaaaaseee_?” You begged your lover with wide eyes. Sans had ridden behind you a few times as you learned how to control his bike. You were getting pretty good, Sans told you so himself. You could handle the twenty minute ride from the mechanics and back home.   

“Sure…sure. Wear your helmet.” Sans mumbled into the pillow. “Take my jacket, ‘s warmer.”

You snagged Sans leather jacket off of his desk chair and slid it on over your hoodie. Grabbing both sets of keys, you hurried down to the parking lot. Sans’ bike was already gone. You smiled up at the window, where you could see Sans tiredly peering out the window at you. You waved at him and blew a kiss up to him. You could see the soft smile cross his face as he caught the kiss and tucked it to his chest.

With a final flirty wave, you got into your car and drove to the mechanics. When you got to the shop, you parked your car in the lot, went in, and gave your keys over to the friendly person at the main desk. You spoke briefly with your mechanic about what you needed: an inspection, for them to check your tires and oil. With a handshake, your mechanic told you that they would call when your car was ready to be picked up.

Shuffling back out into the cold, you spied Sans’ motorcycle parked neatly at the corner. Perfect! Thank the heavens for your mystical little skeletal lover. Pulling the keys out of Sans’ jacket pockets, you made your way over to the bike and straddled it.

“Hey, buddy.” You whispered to the bike, as Sans always did, and put the keys into the ignition. The bike rumbled to life underneath you. You’d have to suffer through the cold, but the adrenaline of the ride would warm you up a bit.

Carefully pulling onto the street, you began to navigate your way home. You were so thankful for Sans’ heavy and wool lined leather jacket. You wished you had worn gloves, but there was nothing you could do about it now. At least the helmet kept the cold wind off your face.

Chugging to a stop at a red light, you glanced around the street. You were waiting at the light right in front of Asgore’s flower shop. Peering through the large front window, you spied Papyrus at the counter, happily chatting to a customer. As if sensing your gaze, the tallest skeleton glanced up at you. A huge grin split his skull as he waved at you. Chuckling, you waved back at him before turning your attention back to the road as the light turned green.

Eager to get back into the warm bed with Sans, you almost did not notice the car behind you. It was a little hard _not_ to notice; seeing how close the car was getting to the back tire. It was making you a little anxious. What if you hit the brakes! This car wouldn’t be able to stop in time to avoid hitting you.

Opting to get away from the car, you changed lanes and kept riding. The car changed into the same lane as you and sped up to keep speed with you. Huh. Maybe the car in front of you had been going to slow for them. Slower cars stuck to the right lane, right? Now that the car was in the faster left lane, they’d leave you alone. That had to be it.

You went back into the right lane, hoping the car would stay in the left lane.

It didn’t.

The car followed you into the right lane. You took the time to take note of the car. It was a small, four door sedan. It was a gleaming silver and the windows were heavily tinted. You couldn’t even see who was driving.

Without putting your blinker on, you made a quick right turn onto another street. Why were they following you? Did they want to steal the bike? Could they somehow tell who you were from underneath Sans’ heavy jacket?

The car was able to cut the corner and continue to follow you.

“Fuck.” You uttered to yourself. You needed to get out of here.

Speeding up, you tucked your body closer to the machine. Sans had told you that his baby could pick up speed pretty quickly. You kicked up the engine, not caring if a cop pulled you over. God, you would be thankful if you could find a cop right about now.

Taking another sharp turn, your hands shook as your grip faltered a bit, but you quickly re-gained control of the machine. Your body, once warm in Sans’ coat, became ice cold. Your sweat felt like ice water. You couldn’t be scared, not now. You could be scared once you were someplace safe.

You lurched forward as something tapped your back tire. Yelping, you glanced back to see that the silver sedan was right on your ass. Horrified, you sped up even more. You couldn’t let this (these?) assholes get you.

“ _HEY_!”

Looking at your rearview mirror, you noticed that the driver’s side window of the silver sedan had rolled down. A gloved arm was sticking out of the window, shaking angrily in your direction. Whoever this person was, they were yelling at you.

_“DIRTY MONSTER LOVER!”_

_That’s what this was about?_

Angered, you flipped off the driver. They blared their horn at you; long drawn out angry honks. How come no one was noticing? Taking another quick turn, you kicked up the speed down the straight stretch of road. You were about three blocks from the apartment, but you didn’t want to lead this (these?) bastards back to your home.

“AH!” You screamed as something hit you in the back, square between your shoulder blades. What the hell was that? You could already feel your skin changing colors and bruise from the object hitting you. You could hear the driver, clearly a woman, laughing hysterically.

“Mother fucker.” You whimpered, crouching down to make yourself a smaller target. You would call for help if you could, but you dared not take your hands off the handlebars. If you lost control of the bike, you had no clue what you would do.

The car changed lanes and pulled up alongside you. The passenger window was rolled down a bit, but not enough for you to be able to see the driver. They were still screaming horrible things to you. How you were a ‘ _filthy monster fucking faggot’_ and mocking you for ‘ _not understanding what species you were’._

 _“GO TO HELL!”_ They finished with a howl. They jerked their car over, smashing into the side of you and the bike. Your left leg was smashed between two walls of moving metal. You screamed, unable to stop the bike from jerking off the road. All you had time to do was hit the kill engine button before the world became a swirl of colors.

Your fall from the bike was nothing but a blur. The rolling was the worst part, unsure if you were on the ground or in the air. The helmet and jacket protected your face and torso, but you could feel your hands and legs becoming mangled.

With your body coming to a skidding stop on the sidewalk, the bike too scraped along the asphalt and stopped a few feet away from you. The car, with the woman laughing loudly and obnoxiously honking her horn, sped away.

Your mind was swirling like a tide pool and you couldn’t tell if you were laying on your front or back. You were looking up at the sky, so it was safe to assume you were on your back. You heard worried murmurs all around you as people began to circle you.

In your disoriented state, you began to worry that they were crazy like that driver. You whimpered and shied away from an older woman who told you she was a nurse. Seeing the signs that you weren’t fully aware, the nurse told a fellow by-standard to call 911. She could see the outline of your cell phone in the jacket pocket. Reaching for your pocket slowly, the nurse smiled at you.

“Sweetie, do you have someone I can call?” She whispered, pulling your cellphone out of the jacket pocket. She looked a little nervous, but not scared. That made you feel a little better; but you were still shaken.

“Br…brother.” You uttered your first word. Your lips felt wet. Was that blood? You brought your hands up to remove your helmet, but the nurse was quick to push your arms back to the ground.

“We’ve got to keep that on until the paramedics get here.” The nurse said soothingly. “What’s your brother’s name. I’ll give him a ring.” The nurse’s tone and normal-sounding words helped you begin to control your breathing.

“Papyrus.” You uttered, running your tongue over your bottom lip. Oh yeah, that was blood. Did you bite your lip when you fell, or your tongue? While you tried to connect back to Earth, the nurse called Papyrus.

“HUMAN!” He yelled happily. “DID YOU SEE ME WAVE AT YOU?”

“Excuse me, is this Papyrus?” The nurse asked calmly, looking down at you. She knew that you would live, but she did not like the angle at which your leg was laying, nor at the amount of scrapes that littered your hands and wrists.

“Yes?” Papyrus answered nervously. Did you leave your phone somewhere, he wondered. “Who is this?”

“Your brother here had an…I _can’t_ call it an accident. He fell off his bike and will have to go to the hospital. We’re on the corner of Madison and Eighth street.” The nurse said, her fingers pressing against the skin of your neck. Your pulse was a little fast, but it was good. She’d rather have it a little speedy than slowing down.

“I’LL BE THERE!” Papyrus screamed, hanging up. He was worried out of his skull. He needed to call Sans, too! But he needed to get to you first. He needed to make sure you were okay, and then he would call his brother.

Shouting quickly to Asgore, Papyrus didn’t bother to take off his work apron as he jumped over the counter and raced out the door. He felt the urge to leap out the main window, but Asgore had gotten upset at him the first time he’d done that.

Racing down the street as fast as his feet could take him, Papyrus began to breathe heavily. Were you okay? The woman on the phone said that you would need to go to the hospital? Did he need to bring you or should he call a hospital truck?

A few blocks over, your mind was still very fuzzy and swirly. You were still having a hard time connecting to reality. The word concussion crossed your frazzled mind. That was very likely. You did just get thrown around like a rag doll.

Your mind, addled as it was, did acknowledge the sounds of Papyrus coming closer. The tall skeleton fell to his knees beside you, his face hovering over the visor of your helmet. The nice older nurse looked surprised at the appearance of Papyrus. She glanced between the two of you before shrugging and going back to checking your pulse.

It was her job to keep people alive, not question genetics or family ties.  

Papyrus looked down at you with a rare frown. He reached down to touch you, but you subconsciously pulled away from him. You were still shaken; too far gone due to fear to understand reason. Papyrus frowned, scooting closer to your crumpled form. “You can always trust me. I’ll never hurt you.”

His voice was soft, so soft. You imagined that he was whispering. Your eyes started focusing on the swirl of white, red, orange, and green that hovered over you. The swirl sounded like your Papyrus. But where was Sans? Where was your Sans?

Still shaken and not in the right state of mind, you shied away from his touch once more. He frowned, orange tears welling in his eye sockets. He was worried; you must be very hurt and scared not to understand that he would never hurt you.

“Brother.” Papyrus whispered, scooting closer to you. “Brother, please.”

Realization bloomed in your mind. This _was_ Papyrus, your beloved friend, practically your own brother. Without a single tremor in you, you grasped Pap’s hand as it rested beside your bloody one. His hold was strong as he wrapped his arms around you as carefully as he could, as if you were a small child.

“I’ve got you. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, have got you.” 


	34. The Officers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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You went semi-unconscious by the time the ambulance came. Your eyes were open and you were making noises, but there was no way you would be remembering much. As the EMTs put a neck brace on you and took off your helmet, Papyrus was profusely thanking the nurse.

“It’s no problem, dearie.” The nurse smiled as Papyrus squeezed her hands.

“It was _almost_ a very big problem, healing human!” Papyrus said, worriedly glancing at you as you were loaded into the ambulance. “I thank you again, healing human!”

“Linda.” The nurse introduced herself with a laughed, tugging Papyrus over to the ambulance. “Excuse me, sir! This is his brother, he’d like to ride with….uh, what’s your brother’s name, dearie?”

“__________  ___________.” Papyrus wrung his hands nervously. “Is h-he going to be a-alright?”

“He will be, son.” The EMT promised, clearing off a seat for Papyrus. Linda took Papyrus’ hands in hers tightly and squeezed them to comfort him.

“Get in, dearie. I’ll pray for you both.” Linda promised with a sweet smile. Papyrus thanked the kind human once again before hopping into the emergency vehicle. You were loaded onto a stretcher and placed into the truck. You were pale, with blood trickling out of your mouth.

Frowning, Papyrus watched as the EMTs hurried around your body like worker ants. They were pressing strange instruments to your chest and wrist, muttering numbers to each other. Papyrus was worried, but trusted the EMTs to do their jobs.  

Shakily, he pulled out his cell phone and pressed the first speed dial. The line rang for a moment before a sleepy voice answered: “Hey, bro.”

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted, earning shushes and agitated glares from the EMTs. Papyrus grimaced out a smile and quietly whispered an apology.

Okay…no shouting in the emergency truck.

Sans, who was dreaming of being on a puppy beach, went from being exhausted to complete alertness once he heard the fear in his brother’s voice. He’d never heard his brother sound this distraught; not even that one time Sans lost him in the shops when Papyrus was a little baby bones.

“Pap, where are you?” Sans asked sternly, rocketing out of bed and tugging on a pair of track pants.

“____________ was in an accident.” Papyrus composed himself enough to whisper.

Sans froze, mid shoving his foot into his sneaker.

“He c-crashed the bike a-and we’re in t-the emergency vehicle n-now.” Papyrus said with his voice shaking.

The world froze around him.

Sans could feel his own breathing reverberating in his skull.

“Sans… _Sans_?” Papyrus called to his brother, pulling the phone away from his skull to make sure that the call wasn’t dropped. The line was still active.

“ _Sans_!” Papyrus called again, which shook Sans out of his shock.

“Where are you?” Sans said, his magic supping up for teleportation. His bones began to rattle and pop, not unlike a coffee pot that was heating up.

“We are going to Mercy Hospital.” Papyrus said, glancing worriedly at you. “We’ll be there in….” Papyrus looked at one of the EMTs, who held up three fingers. “Three minutes.”

“I’ll be there.” Sans said, hanging up before Papyrus could respond. With a snap, Sans found himself waiting outside Mercy Hospital, standing outside the large automatic doors. If he used his magic and hollow bones to intensify sounds, he could make out the ambulance siren in the near distance.

Unsure of what to do with himself, Sans flicked out his phone and began calling everyone.

The first person answered after the second ring.

“Tori…” Sans said, his voice dull. “It’s me…___________...we’re at the hospital.”

* * *

 

 

You think you remember riding in the ambulance. You felt the road rushing beneath you as you were brought to the hospital. You were somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. You could hear some things, but they were muffled.

You did hear Papyrus call Sans, and it made you want to cry. No…don’t call Sans. He’ll be worried, or worse, mad. You crashed his bike, something he lovingly called his precious baby. Was the damage extensive? Would you be able to find a mechanic to fix it?

Darkness enveloped you.

The next thing you could fully remember, you were laying in a gurney and being wheeled slowly down a hall. The hall was white, with speckled ceiling tiles and smelt like antiseptic. Too white and too clean to be anywhere other than a hospital.  

“Mister ____________.” Someone called out to you. It sounded like there were cotton balls shoved in your ears. “____________, can you hear me?”

You were a little drowsy, but you managed to nod. Everything felt like slow motion. You mentioned that to the person, you assumed a nurse, who chuckled. “Concussions do that to some people. Don’t worry, you’ll clear up soon.”

The nurse brought you into a room and put the brakes on the gurney. They helped you into the bed, which is when you noticed the throbbing in your leg. Your left leg was wrapped in bandages and some kind of metal supports.

“The doctors had to surgically realign the bone.” The nurse told you. “The surgery went very well. We’re giving the incision a few hours to make sure there are no complications and then we’ll give you a cast.”

You had no energy to complain. You were happy to be alive, but you were so extremely tired. You started to take check of your body and you realized that almost every part of your body was aching. Your hands up to your wrists were worn with road rash and covered in clean bandages.

“Before anyone is allowed in…” The nurse interrupted your observations. “some officers are here to see you about your…accident.”

Nodding shakily, you pushed yourself up to try and sit up against the elevated top portion of the mattress. The nurse didn’t look happy with you sitting up, but decided it was alright for a bit. They opened the door and whispered to whoever was outside the door, telling them they would have to wait to see you until after the officers spoke to you.

A burst of cyan light exploded at the foot of your bed. You had to close your eyes from the brightness. “ _I  w i l l  n o t  w a i t .”_

Sans.

“Bone boy, play nice.” You managed, your voice hoarse and gravely. Sans jerked his head in your direction and the blue glow in his left eye dimmed. Sans was by your side in an instant, his cool hands running over your cheeks. He was pressing his teeth over every inch of your face that he could touch.

“Babe…babe…_________...my boy.”  Sans muttered, more to himself than you, like he was reassuring himself that he had you in his hands. That you were alive. Sans couldn’t believe that you were alive. He couldn’t believe that he had you in his hands, hurt, but alive.

“Sir.” The nurse interrupted, two officers standing behind them. “Mister _________ needs to meet with the officers before having any visitors. I’m sorry.”

“No.” You said, shaking your head. “No, he’s fine. It was his bike I was riding anyways.”

The officers nodded, telling the nurse that it would be beneficial to have Sans in the room with you, since your concussion might affect your speech or memory and having your ‘friend’ there would help you. You scooted over in the bed, careful not to jostle your leg, and patted the space beside you. Carefully, Sans settled himself onto the bed beside you, his hand resting on your upper thigh.

“I’m officer Diver and this is officer McCullough.” The taller officer said, his voice soft and even. “We need to ask you a few questions.”

They asked the typical questions. Who you were, what you were doing earlier today, and how you were feeling. Then the question that made your heart pound nervously in your throat:

“And who is Mister Snowdin to you?” Officer McCullough asked, her pen poised on her pad of paper.

“He’s my boyfriend.” You said bluntly, hoping that this wouldn’t backfire. What if the cops didn’t want to help you now? What if they were members of one of those anti-monster groups?

Much to your surprise, the officers didn’t say anything. They didn’t even blink.

“And have you driven a motorcycle before or was today your first time?” Officer Driver asked.

You were flabbergasted. Not even a disgusted look. You glanced at Sans, who was rubbing your thigh soothingly. He let out a tense breath that he was holding in. He had been scared, too.

“No, he’s been riding for a few months. Today was his first ride by himself.” Sans answered for you, his hand coming to rest on your back and rub the sore muscles slowly. The officers nodded and wrote down a few more lines for the statement.

Officer Diver pulled a tablet from underneath his writing pad. “We’ve contacted all of the businesses that had outer security cameras and the street cameras for evidence. I have to warn you” Diver said to Sans “the footage is a bit startling.”  

Sans snagged the tablet quickly and pressed the video to play. It was footage from multiple cameras that showed your entire ordeal.

The silver car had been following you before you had even noticed it. It seemed to begin stalking you a few blocks before you had waved at Papyrus through the flower shop window. It was clear when you took notice of the car, the footage showed you changing lanes to escape the car.

These cops better not give you a driving ticket.

You winced when you saw the car ram into the bike from behind. You couldn’t watch this, it was still too soon. Hiding your face in Sans' shoulder, you felt him tense as he watched the footage. Sans gritted his teeth as he watched you go airborne and tumble across the asphalt and roll onto the sidewalk. There was even footage of Papyrus running to your side a few minutes later.

“Do you have any idea of who the driver of this car is?” Officer McCullough asked. Sans frowned.

“Don’t you have the plate number?” Sans asked, rewinding the footage.

“Do you have any idea of who this driver is?” Officer McCullough asked once more.

“Yeah.” Sans said, pausing the footage. It was paused when the driver had rolled down their window to throw something at you, which turned out to be some kind of paperweight. The person was a woman, middle aged, with dark hair and pale skin…

“This is my old landlord. We just went to court over disgusting conditions in her old building.” Sans hissed, glaring at the tabled before shoving it back at the officers. “My brother and I won the case.”

The officers nodded. “We did run her plates already. We only needed you or Mister _________ to make a positive visual identification.”

With that the officers began to wrap up your statement. They wished you luck, said they would be hunting down the landlady, and that they would be in contact with you. They shook both your and Sans’ hands.

 “Your bike is salvageable and in our lot.” Officer McCullough said with a soft smile on her face. “Mister _____________ hit the kill engine button before he fell off.” The officer said in awe before turning to Sans. “Your boy is a smart one. That move kept the bike from possibly hitting him, the engine burning him, or the wheels to keep moving and hit him.”

“I did have a great teacher.” You said proudly, patting Sans’ glowing blue cheekbones.

Chuckling, Sans pressed his hand to yours and held it to your cheek. “Thank you, buddy.”

And with that, the officers exited the room and you were left alone in the hospital room with your boyfriend.


	35. Star Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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Frisk was dead asleep. They had had a nightmare earlier in the night and had gone into their parent’s bedroom. Crawling into bed, Toriel was the first to awaken.

“My child, what is wrong?” Toriel asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Asgore, who had his arm wrapped around Tori’s shoulders, snorted and woke with a small start.

 _‘Nightmare. Can I sleep with you?_ ’ Frisk signed shakily.

“Of course, my sweet child.” Asgore’s deep grumble settled Frisk’s worried mind. Crawling between the furry warmth of their parents, Frisk was swaddled in blankets and quickly found sleep.

Unfortunately, they were to be woken a few hours later.

Toriel’s cellphone began to ring. Both Asgore and Frisk grumbled, the small child turning towards their father and burying their face in their father’s furry chest. Asgore wrapped his arms around his child as Toriel chuckled, sleepily leaning over to her bedside table to retrieve her phone.

“Hello?” She answered before looking to see who called.

Frisk listened, somewhat interested. Who was calling their mother this early? They hoped it wasn’t their teacher. They were only flirting so they could get out of doing their homework. When Toriel gasped, a sound that their mother didn’t make often, Frisk jerked themselves up.

“We’ll-I’ll be there soon! Stay strong, Sans.” Toriel gasped, leaping out of bed and hurrying to her dresser and closet. She pulled out her warmest dress and almost ripped the fabric on her horns in her haste to get the dress over her night gown.

‘ _Mom_?’ Frisk asked after knocking on the wooden headboard to get their mother’s attention.

“Tor-tor, what’s wrong my heart?” Asgore asked, pushing himself to sit upright. Toriel made a worried bleat in exasperation, beginning the desperate search for her gloves, purse, boots, and coat. “Tori, sweetling?” 

“Dreamy, I need you to stay here with Frisk, okay.” Toriel said, pulling her satchel over her shoulder. Asgore, although worried, nodded.

“Let me make you some tea to take along.” Asgore said quickly, hopping out of bed and rushing into the kitchen. Toriel sighed, she didn’t want to wait for the water to boil, but she supposed she could spare the extra two minutes.

“My child, _____________ is at the doctors and doesn’t feel good, but he’ll be okay.” Toriel found long ago that trying to lie to her child was not wise. It was easier to be direct and to the point with her child. “I’m going to the hospital to see him, but I’ll be back soon.”

 _‘I’ll come, too!’_ Frisk signed worriedly. They loved you. They loved them and Sans loved you too. If you were with Uncle Sans, that would make you their uncle too, right?

Toriel smiled down. Frisk truly was the most loving and caring child. “I’ll call as soon as you can visit, but you need to stay home with your father. He is awfully scared of doctors.”

Frisk nodded bravely. They’d stay with dad until they could visit. They made a mental note to hold their father’s hand the next time he went to the doctor.

Toriel kissed their child’s forehead before hurrying out into the main room. Asgore handed her a steaming mug of fresh tea with a soft smile. “Thank you, Dreamy.”

“You are most welcome, Tor-tor.” Asgore said, helping his queen into her long coat. “Shall I escort you to your car, m’lady?”

“You shall.” Toriel smiled coyly, hooking her arm around Asgore’s. The king could feel his queen shake with nervous energy.

“What is wrong, dear heart?” Asgore asked softly as he escorted his lady to the parking lot. Toriel pursed her lips worriedly.

“_____________ was riding Sans’ motorcycle today and…some vile person ran him off the road.” Toriel said, wincing at the image her own mind created of her beloved neighbor. “He’s in the hospital as we speak, and I must go be at his side.”

“You are such a good friend, my lady.” Asgore soothed his lover. He did not know ___________ well, but he loved them for treating his family so well. “Their attacker shall be brought to justice.”

“How do you know for certain, my love?” Toriel asked weakly. Asgore frowned.

“What do you mean?” Asgore asked.

“What if his attacker is never found? Just another faceless low life that got away with…with almost…” Toriel broke her train of thought and fought back tears. She knew in her heart of hearts that whoever this attacker was, that they meant to do much more than hurt you.

Asgore’s frown deepened and he straightened his back. “You wish to know how I know without a doubt that____________ will find justice?”

With watery eyes, Toriel looked up at Asgore. “How?”

“Because.” Asgore said, cupping Toriel’s chin and tilting her head up. “You are Toriel Dreemurr! Merciful queen with the entire Underground at your beck and call! Endless kindness and strength exudes from your very pores. Where there is you, my lady, there will always be justice.”  

With renewed vigor, Toriel kissed Asgore passionately before getting in her car and speeding off. The king was left, speechless and in awe; gaping in the parking lot. He eventually picked his bearded chin up off the ground and went back inside to his child.

‘ _Dad_!’ Frisk signed, still curled up in the bed. _‘Wanna watch TV?’_

Asgore, happy that Frisk didn’t seem too distraught about you being in the hospital, quickly agreed.

* * *

 

 

After the officers left, Sans turned to you and stared. Didn’t move a muscle…well, bone. He didn’t even blink. Just stared. It felt like he was looking straight through you and into your soul.

Subconsciously, you arched your chest towards Sans. Your soul, green and as glimmering as ever, came from your chest. It floated for a minute before slowly drifting over to your lover. Your soul bumped his hoodie covered rib cage, just over his sternum.

Your eyes were trained on your soul bopping your boyfriend. You glanced up at Sans to see tears gathering in his eye sockets. Oh no, he was really upset! You felt guilt beginning to eat you up. You never wanted to hurt Sans, it was the last thing you ever wanted to do.

“I’m sorry...” Your voice was hoarse. “…your bike.”  

Sans wanted to laugh, to cry, to _scream_ at you. He didn’t give a fuck about the bike compared to you. As long as you were alive, he could care less if his bike was scrap metal. He’d often told you that his bike was his precious baby; but that wasn’t true.

You were his precious baby.

Reaching out, Sans grabbed your soul and held it gently in his hands. He stroked the green soul, the same way that someone would stroke a baby rabbit. With a watery smile, Sans brought his cupped hands up to his lips to press a toothy kiss to your soul. He carefully slid closer to you and pressed your soul back into your chest.

“Fuck that bike.” Sans whispered brokenly, his hands clutching at your torso. His fingers trailed over your collar bones, phalanges pressing against your skin through the thin fabric of the hospital gown. He thought he’d never feel your warm skin again. “H-how are…are you…?”  

“I’ve been better.” You smiled at your lover, who didn’t look amused. “I’ll be alright, bone boy.”

Sans wasn’t soothed. “What hurts?” He asked hastily, his hands running down your arms. He spied your wrapped hands and upper arms with a cringe.

“My hands hurt a bit, same with a few bruises here and there. Your jacket kept my chest from getting torn up, but I have some bruises on my back. The nurses say that I don’t have a concussion, I just was in shock and a little loopy.” You yawned. “Oh, and my leg hurts a little.”  

Sans glanced down at your leg, which still had a fresh line of stapled skin. Frowning, he began to poke around your left leg. He tried to be gentle, but the skin and muscle was very sensitive and incredibly painful. At the sound of your pained hiss, Sans quickly pulled his hand away.

“You’ve got a pretty bad break, babe.” Sans frowned, his hands sliding up your thighs to your hips. You assumed Sans would know a broken bone when he saw one. He rubbed your hips, which felt amazing. Your joints were aching and sitting up in the uncomfortable hospital bed was killing your hips and lower back.

“Is this okay?” Sans asked, digging his fingers deeper into your hips and massaging the muscles. You nodded, closing your eyes. You were aching all over and Sans knew exactly how to work your muscles. While your body was being soothed, you couldn’t stop your mind from racing. “I’m really sorry about your bike. I know how much you loved it.”

“Don’t be, babe. I’m glad you’re alright.” Sans whispered, cupping your cheek. He pushed some hair from your face and traced the sensitive skin under your eyes. “My soul almost tore when I got the call.”

“So…you’re not mad?” You said, feeling relieved.

Sans laughed shakily. “Never. _Never_ at you, anyway.” Sans took a deep steadying breath. “That… _bitch_ on the other hand…”

Sans’ left eye blazed cyan blue. His magical eye was smoldering and beginning to alternate from blue, to green, and to yellow. His hands, one cupping your cheek and the other woven into your hair, tightened their grip on you. Sans’ bones pressed into your skin, a pleasant pressure of your lover’s body that calmed you.

“We need to think this through, bone boy.” You shushed him, nervously bringing your hand up to the left side of Sans’ face. The bone around his flaming eye was much warmer than his normal temperature, but it did not burn you.

“I know.” Sans grumbled, dropping his forehead to press against your shoulder. “In the Underground…if someone gave you trouble…you took care of it yourself.”

“This is the price of not living Underground.” You chuckled, gently rubbing your boyfriend’s skull. “No vigilantism.”

“Okay baby, I guess you’re right.” Sans sighed, kissing you between your eyes. You giggled at the feeling of his smooth teeth against your skin.

“I know I’m right.” You sassed Sans with a cheshire grin. Sans smiled down at you, too relieved to think of a smart ass pun or a response. Seeing you, alive and joking in front of him, was an answered prayer. He had thought he’d be picking up your body from the morgue, not holding you in his arms.  

“I love you.” Sans’ voice was quiet, barley heard over the machines beeping around you. His hand returned to your face, quivering. The coolness of his bones against your heated cheek made you smile. He was far too sweet to be real.

“I love you so much.” You whispered, turning your head to press a kiss into Sans’ palm. He looked like he was about to burst into tears again. With a sigh, Sans ran his thumb over your bottom lip, careful of the slit where you had bitten yourself during your tumble.

He couldn’t do it. Sans had been holding back his tears since he was able to see you. He hadn’t wanted you to know how terrified he was. He was supposed to be your big scary skeleton boyfriend. It was his duty, in his mind, to protect you. To him, he had failed you and allowed you to be hurt.

Unable to hold back, Sans began to sobbed brokenly. His hands pulled one of yours up to his teeth. He peppered kisses along the wounded and wrapped skin. He hoped there was no lasting damage. Sans wouldn’t know what to do if you became disabled because of his inability to defend you.

“I’m alright, baby bones.” You whispered, knowing where Sans’ mind was going. He was going to try and pull away; blame himself. None of this was his fault. Not a moment of your pain was caused by him. It was all her.

“I’m so sorry…” Sans said, his head bowing in shame. “If I hadn’t been such a lazy-”

“Sans Snowdin, don’t you dare.” You hissed, sitting up further in bed. Your body screamed at you to sit back down, but you refused. “None of this is your fault. You’re the only reason that I made it.”

“Why? I still don’t understand why you agreed to this. Look where I’ve gotten you…” Sans said. You knew exactly what he meant. This was a repeat of that night all those months ago; after he had the first nightmare and you had changed his sheets and forced him into the shower. He’d asked you why you’d agree to be with him.

“Because I love you and I want to be with you. There’s nothing more that I want than us.” You whispered to your lover, whose body began to rack with the intensity of his sobs. “You have given me so much, Sans. _So much_. We’ve got a family and amazing friends and a good life, and that’s because of you.”  

Sans threw himself into your blanket covered lap and cried. Still sitting in the chair beside your bed, he wrapped his arms around your waist and cried into your lap. You wrapped your arms around Sans as best you could and pressed a kiss to the back of his skull.

“Sans…please, bone boy, I’m okay.” You whispered into the back of his skull. “I need you. As long as I have you, I’ll be okay. I love you to the moon and back.”

“That makes you sound like a _luna_ -tic.” Sans hiccupped, and sat back up, sniffling.

How did he do that without a nose?

“I really didn’t appreciate that _comet_.” You snickered, wiping at your lover’s cheeks with the scratchy hospital blanket. Your Sans was never supposed to cry. You wanted him happy and making those crappy puns of his.

“I can’t wait to get you back home.” Sans laughed, wiping away the last remnants of his tears. “As nice as this place is, it doesn’t have a very romantic _atmosphere_.”

“Oh, you want to take me home?” You whistled, wagging your eyebrows at Sans. Feeling like the weight of the world was off his shoulders, Sans laughed. No matter what happened, you’d always be you. He playfully swatted at your hip. It was the closest he could get to your ass at this moment.

“No spanking the patients!”

You jolted in surprise. Had a nurse seen you? Oh god, you were so embarrassed. Sans looked smug, snorting and turning towards the open doorway.

“Hey, Tori.”

Oh…it was Toriel.

Okay…still embarrassing, but Toriel was far better than a stranger.

“______________, I’m glad to see you are well enough to find something _humerus_ in this situation.”  Toriel let out a relieved laugh. The beautiful goat floated to your side, worry still etched deeply in her face. Her furry paw pressed against your forehead, as a mother would do to a child to check their temperature. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m ready to start getting better.” You chuckled, smiling up at your lovely neighbor. “The nurses have to slap a cast on me and then I’ll be good to go!”

“That’s good to hear, _____________!” Toriel chimed, pulling one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs up to your beside. You winced empathetically for your friend. Those chairs did not even look comfortable.

“Where’s Papyrus?” Toriel asked. She could see no hide or hair of the taller skeleton.

“I told him there was spaghetti in the hospital cafeteria.” Sans snickered, crossing his arms behind his head. “He went on a pasta chase.”

Toriel smiled. She was happy to see that Sans was taking the situation in strides. You looked tired, but that was to be expected.

“I am so glad that you’re okay. Well…living.” Toriel said, glancing at your soon to be casted leg.

“I’m more worried about what will happen to the landlady when Deb hears about this.” You chuckled, leaning back in bed. You hissed when your lower back and hips ached. Sans was quick to lower the head portion of the bed, despite your refusals. He just hushed you before saying he was going to go find you some juice and ask a nurse when they planned on casting your leg.

Oh god…his pampering was bordering on mother-henning already.

Mother hen Sans…huh.

Toriel snickered as your lover jogged out of the room. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him run before.”

“You should see him make cookies.” You said as you closed your eyes in exhaustion. “Doesn’t move a muscle.”

Toriel laughed; trying to imagine Sans with any kind of muscle. A nurse poked her head in a moment later, saying that she was about to cast your left leg. When she asked what color cast you wanted, you told her your preferred color. With a sigh, you leaned back against your pillows. It was going to be a long day. 

“I mean…it feels like life won’t give me a _break_.” You said to Toriel, who couldn’t hold back a cackle of laughter. You smiled. Thank heaven for your people.


	36. Monster Under The Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

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Your doctor, while kind, was an annoyance. You loved your nurses, but it was the doctor’s _‘best interest’_ that you stay in the hospital for at least one night. Something about them wanting to monitor you as you slept to make sure there were no complications or serious internal or cranial injuries that they had overlooked.

If you were annoyed; Sans was angered.

He paced your room, thankfully a single room, like a caged cougar. He hissed at the doctor, a tall woman with kind dark eyes, whenever she stepped into your room. The doctor didn’t seem to care or notice. You were given some pain meds via your I.V. line and written a prescription for oral pain pills for home. Relenting to the doctor’s wishes, you decided to spend the night.

“____________?” Papyrus, who had appeared just before Toriel had left to return home, asked as he sat on the floor beside your bed. You kept slipping him bites of your hospital food, which you thought was nasty, but Papyrus thought was: _‘the epitome of culinary healing art!’_

“Yeah, Paps?” You asked, handing him down another piece of brownie that you were sharing. Papyrus quickly snagged the chocolaty morsel.

“A nurse just told Sans that we can’t sleep over here with you.” Papyrus said, watching the scene unfolding outside your open door with rapt attention.

Looking up, your eyes caught sight of Sans standing in front of the nurses’ station; which was pretty much a large desk where all the nurses sat whenever they caught a second to sit or breathe. He was on his tiptoes, clutching the edge of the desk and glaring at the nurse who was working as the secretary for the floor.  She was glaring fearlessly right back at him.

“Son o’va bitch.” You groaned, seeing how pissed Sans was getting. You understood that what happened today had shaken him, but he couldn’t take it out on the nurses. They were just doing their jobs. Wriggling out of your sheets, you reached for your crutches that a nurse had leant against the wall by your bed.

“Where are you going, human?” Papyrus asked, swinging his arm up to snatch another piece of brownie from your abandoned food tray.

You shoved the padded tops of the crutches under your arms. “I’m gonna go call Sans off. I swear to god he’s like a little rabid dog.”

“If my brother was a dog…what kind of dog would he be?” Papyrus asked slowly, contemplating his own question. He stared up into the bright lights of the hospital room. “Something…with fur.”

Was Papyrus high? You hoped the nurses hadn’t put any kind of pain meds in your food.

“Your brother is a Pomeranian. An annoying little yipping Pomeranian.” You hissed angrily, swinging your broken leg out in front of you. How were you going to walk like this for four to six weeks? This was going to be torture.

You swung out of the room and hobbled over to the nurses’ station.

“-there is no way I’m not staying with him. What if the person that did this to him comes back?” Sans growled at the nurse, who rolled her eyes. She pointed at the two buff security guards that worked this floor that were sitting down talking to each other. 

“Oh yeah, they look helpful.” Sans scoffed, narrowing his eye sockets at the nurse.

With a tired sigh, you stopped next to your lover. “Sans. Room. Now.” You panted. You never knew moving in crutches would feel so much like cardio.

“Mister _____________!” The nurse sat up. “You’re supposed to be resting! Please, let’s get you back to bed.”

Sans, his face contorted into a worried grimace. “Babe, whatt’ya thinking?”

Gently, Sans took you into his arms and lifted you off your feet. Cradling your body to his chest, Sans took careful steps back into your room. You were grumpy about the situation, and Sans treating you like a kid wasn’t helping. Grunting unhappily when your lover slid you back into the sheets, Sans gave you a pitying smile.

“Ya’ gotta stay still and rest for a bit.” Sans said softly, pushing some hair away from your face. You huffed, turning your cheek from him. “If I promise to play nice with the nurses, will you rest? For me?”

“Sounds like a fair deal.” You pouted, glancing at your lover out of the corner of your eye. Sans’ relieved smile crossed his face. He couldn’t believe that you had gotten up and walked all the way to the nurses’ station.

He almost had a heart attack…well, he would have if he had one.

“Did you need something?” Sans asked, running his phalanges through your hair. “Another brownie? Some tea? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Humans need to do that a lot, right?”

“I just wanted to calm you down. It’s not the nurse’s fault and they’re working hard. I know you’re frustrated.” You tried to calm Sans, but to no avail. The bone between his brows had crunched in worry and you tried to smooth the bone out with your thumb. Sans’ face slightly relaxed.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Sans sighed, shaking his skull. “It’s…a lot to handle in one day.”

You understood. You couldn’t be upset at Sans for being frustrated. Papyrus, who had eaten the rest of your brownie, popped his head up to rest his chin on the bed. “Brother?”

“Yeah, Pap?” Sans asked, sitting down at your bedside in that uncomfortable chair.

“We can’t bring ___________ home, can we?” Papyrus asked sadly, turning to you with two big eye sockets. “Is there…are you worse?”

“No, Pap! The doctor just wants to be sure that everything’s okay.” You said, patting your pseudo-brother on his cheek bone. “I was told I’m okay because a certain someone was quick to get to me.”

Papyrus flushed, an orange blush crawling across his skull. “I did? I helped you!”

“Of course!” You smiled. You remembered hearing Papyrus’ voice inside the ambulance and it had calmed you. You were scared, but knowing that Papyrus was there made you feel better. He made you know that you weren’t alone.

“I can’t believe I forgot to thank you, bro.” Sans winked at his brother. “You’re a _life saver_. Literally.”

Papyrus glared at his brother, unsure of whether or not he should count that as a pun.

“Tell you what, how about you and I order some pasta from the Italian place you like a few blocks over, we’ll go home, and I’ll read you any story you want, bro. Sound good?” Sans smiled up at Papyrus, who began hopping in excitement.

“I’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, DEAREST HUMAN!” Papyrus screamed, giving you a careful hug. You clung to Papyrus’ broad shoulders and kissed his cheek bone.

“Thanks again, Paps.” Papyrus blushed, and attempted to humbly shove the praise away. Sans chuckled, gently nudging his large brother away from your bedside.

“I love you, babe.” Sans whispered to you, pressing a kiss in between your eyes. You stretched into the kiss, humming happily. “Do you have your phone?”

You hummed, nodding to your bedside table where your cell phone lay.

“Good. You’ll…call me if you need me, right?” Sans asked. He did not want to leave you. He wanted to crawl in bed with you and hold you until you were better. Even once you were better, Sans wasn’t sure he would want to let you go.

“I promise, bone boy.” You smiled up at your boyfriend. “Don’t get all bone twisted. I’m alright.”

Sans let out a deep sigh. “I almost lost you today…”

“Almost.” You said, taking Sans hand in yours and twining your fingers together. “But I’m alive and here. I’ll be alright for one night.”

Sans looked away from you shyly. Was he being too clingy? Sometimes Sans felt like he tried too hard one moment and then the next he was trying too little. Was he smothering you?

“But…” You frowned, seeing the sag in Sans’ shoulders. “I’ll miss you. I don’t know how I’ll sleep without you.”

Sans’ smile was so huge that his jaw almost cracked.

“I’ll miss you too, babe. Bed’s gonna feel empty.” Sans cooed, bending down to kiss you. Your lips molded to his mouth, your tongue running teasingly across his teeth. Sans opened his mouth and nipped at your bottom lip, pulling the flesh into his mouth and running his phantasmal cyan tongue over your lip. You panted into his mouth, turning your head to the side to try and gain some power in the kiss. Sans’ kisses always knocked you off your feet and sent your heart pounding.

Beep…beep…beep…beep..beep..beep.. _beep beep beep beep beep_ **_beepbeepbeepbeep_**!

Pulling away from Sans, you fanned your face with your hand. The machine that monitored your heart beat was beeping frantically. Please, don’t let a nurse come in here. You did not want to explain to a nurse that you weren’t having a heart attack; you just wanted to jump your boyfriend’s bones.

Sans, realizing what the obnoxious beeping was, grinned smugly down at you.

“You sure you’re gonna be alright, baby?”

Frowning up at your boyfriend, you glared.

“Get. Out.”

With a small wave and a blown kiss, Sans waltzed out of your room. He closed the door behind him, but not fully. At least it would give you some sense of privacy. You’d had enough of nurses and your doctor coming into your room to poke and prod at you. You wanted some alone time.

You dozed on and off for a few hours. Thank heavens that you had a single room to yourself. You’d heard horror stories about hospital roommates. You got to choose the lighting and the TV station.

Due to the pain medications that you were being given, your sleep schedule was a little wonky. You woke up around three in the morning, unable to go back to sleep. You didn’t feel like watching television; there usually wasn’t anything decent on this early in the morning.

You supposed you could watch some scary videos on YouTube. Maybe some of those weird top ten lists of crazy things people have found in their food. It sounded better than staring out the window. The stars were starting to dim, yet the sun wouldn’t be up for several hours.

“ _Psssst_.”

You looked around the room. Where the hell had that come from? The door to your room was open just a hair and you could peer out of the sliver and see into the hallway. The nurse at the station was practically sleeping in her chair, and the other two nurses were down at the opposite ends of the floor.

Had you not turned your television off? You had left it on, but the volume was down low.

“ _Psssst_!”

There it was again! What the actual fuck? Was one of your machines malfunctioning? It sounded like something decompressing, like air coming out of a tire.

“Hey….pretty boy…”

What. The. Fuck.

Curling up in your sheets, you felt yourself begin to sweat. What the hell? Where was that voice coming from and who was it? The voice sounded incredibly familiar, but somewhat distorted.

Your door, which had been opened a crack, quietly clicked shut.

  1. MY. FUCKING. NO.



You threw your blanket off of you. Screw your broken leg, you were getting out of this haunted hospital. The moment your feet, well, foot and one casted boot, hit the floor, something wrapped around your bare ankle.

Just as you were about to scream, something wrapped around your mouth.

“Shhh, babe. It’s just me. The friendly monster under your bed.” The voice, now easily recognizable, came from underneath your bed. What was covering your mouth, it turned out to be a strand of glimmering cyan blue magic, slid away from your lips.

“Are you shitting me?” You hissed, shaking Sans’ hands off of your ankle. Your lover dragged himself out from underneath your bed. He brushed a few dust bunnies off of his hoodie. Huh, he thought hospitals were supposed to be clean.

“I can’t, you know that.” Sans snickered, crawling into your bed. “You scared of the monster under your bed?”

“You’re not supposed to be here.” You whispered, glancing at the door. With a snap of his fingers, you could hear the lock on the door snick. “Why are you here?”

“Oh you know, I was in the neighborhood. I decided to take a quick trip through the magical void and see how my poor man was doing.” Sans said, wrapping you up in his arms. Your body was still tender, but being held in his strong arms felt amazing. The usual feeling of security was strengthened tenfold. You never wanted to leave Sans’ arms; not when you felt as if nothing and no one could hurt you.

“Why under the bed?” You asked quietly, pressing your cheek into Sans’ sternum.

Sans snickered, closing his eyes and resting down in bed beside you. “I was originally sitting at your feet, but that nurse I was fightin’ with earlier came in while you were sleeping. Nowhere to hide but below deck, ya know?”

“And how long have you been there?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Since ten.” Sans hummed. “The floors pretty comfortable. Too lazy to move once I got down there.”  

“And why did you choose to scare me?” You hissed. While Sans did piss you off, he was still your boyfriend. Your loveable, silly bone boy. You pressed a quick kiss to his ribs, causing him to shudder.

“Because I love you and pranking you gives me life.”

Grumbling, you settled down further into Sans arms. You supposed that the prank was pretty funny. You were happy that Sans could find some kind of humor in this situation. At least he wasn’t going off and ripping every person’s head off. He was calm, so you’d accept all the playful pranks.

You’d let him prank you…this time.


	37. MTT and Plastic Bags

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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Sans stayed with you all night. You fell back asleep just before sunrise, but Sans didn’t mind. He held you in his arms as he watched the sun’s rays pierce the sky. The grey sky became indigo, then purple, then a beautiful orange. Sans shifted you in his arms so that your cheek was smushed into his rib cage. His hands carded through your hair as his sockets were trained on the massive window.

A tapping at the doorframe alerted Sans to a new comer. He contemplated getting out of the bed, but he refused to take you out of his arms. You looked content and Sans loved the way your skin molded and pressed to his bones.

Let the nurses come in here and yell at him. He was providing comfort to his boy.

“Yeah?” Sans asked, keeping his voice slightly above a whisper. The door creaked open and a head of luscious black hair poked in.

The room was suddenly bathed in cyan blue.

“ _Out_.” Sans frowned, glaring at the metallic face in the doorway.

Mettaton frowned, clutching the doorknob like a lifeline. The star was worried about you. Even after your spat with him about Papyrus, the two of you had still been on speaking terms…if not a little colder than normal. After you had not responded to his texts, Mettaton had to call Alphys to find out what was going on with you.

“Sans, I-” Mettaton started, taking a tentative step into the room. The glow of the room, coming from Sans’ throbbing magical eye, shone brighter.

“If __________ wasn’t holding me down right now…I’d be shoving your metal skull through the wall for what you’ve done to my bro.” Sans threatened, tightening his arms around you. You were his grounding. With you in his arms, his mind stopped whirling, his phantom heart stopped pounding, the stomach he didn’t have stopped twisting nervously, and the itch in his throat that he connected with needing a drink was soothed.

You calmed him; a human tranquilizer that was so precious. 

Mettaton pursed his lips. “Just tell me…is he okay?”

Sans frowned, leaning back onto the elevated head of the bed. He hated Mettaton for what he had done to his brother…but what would it hurt for him to know your status? If he truly wanted to know about you, this would be one of the first genuine displays of selfless care and kindness that Sans had ever seen from Mettaton.

“I’m bringing him home today.” Sans said, the glow in his eye dimming. “His leg is still broken, obviously…Tori’s lookin’ into some old healing magic, but ‘m not sure if it’ll be safe for ____________’s body. He’s got some cuts and bruises, too.” Sans said, his hand trailing down your bruised arms.

Mettaton decided that it was safer for him to linger in the doorway. “He’s a tough little gorgeous.”

Sans hummed in agreement; probably one of the only times he would ever agree with Mettaton. The two sat in silence, Mettaton nervously glancing around the room while Sans’ empty eye sockets stared the star down.

“You know now.” Sans said after a few minutes of tense silence. “Leave.”

“Sans…About Papyrus-”

“ _L e a v e.”_ Sans said, his left socket beginning to flicker blue-yellow-green.

Mettaton quickly ducked out of the room. The metallic star stood staring at the closed door for a moment. He couldn’t believe how….un-magnificent life had become in the last few weeks. Life was now…dull. Mettaton couldn’t remember his life ever being dull. He was Mettaton after all; actor, singer, dancer, chef, super star, business man, and fashion mogul. He was the opposite of dull.

Disheartened, Mettaton left the hospital.

* * *

 

 

Around noon, your doctor did her final checkup. She deemed that you were okay to head home, but told you to call if you had any concerns or questions.

She also suggested staying off any motorcycles for a bit.

Sans helped you get dressed, which was a little embarrassing for you since you hadn’t had a decent shower since before you got into the hospital. Your boyfriend eased you into one of the hospital’s wheelchairs and handed your crutches to Papyrus. Sans began to push you out of the hospital and towards the parking lot.

“Are you ready to head home, dear human?” Papyrus asked happily. Something seemed off about him. He looked like he was about to explode in joy. Was he that happy that you were getting out of this squeaky clean hell hole?

“You bet, Paps.” You sighed, trying to ignore the itching in your leg. You wished you could pry the cast off just to itch your skin.

Sans seemed to notice your discomfort. “Got an itch you can’t scratch, babe?”

“You’ve got an ass I can’t kick, bone boy.” You hissed up at your boney boyfriend, who laughed at you and kissed the crown of your head. Why did you even need to be in this stupid wheelchair? You didn’t care if it was hospital policy, you wanted to be on your feet…..er, _foot_.

You took a deep breath; it would be best to look on the bright side right now.

You were going home, after all.

“Didja hear what the critic said about the musical where the main actor had a broken leg?” Sans said, leaning over your shoulder so that you could see his face. Oh no, Sans looked far too excited for this joke to be good. You shook your head and asked what the critic said.

“They said the production had a great _cast_.” Sans wagged his brow bones at you.

You slapped down the emergency brake on the wheelchair, causing the wheels to squeak on the tiled floors as you jerked to a stop. “Papyrus?”

“Yes, dearest human?” Papyrus asked, sounding tired.

“Can you push me?” You asked, shooing Sans away. Sans backed away from you slowly, a worried frown gracing his features.

“Of course.” Papyrus said morosely.

“And can you hit Sans with the wheelchair as many times as possible.” You said, unlatching the wheel brake. “Seeing as he never gets _tire_ -d of his puns.”

Papyrus threw his hands in the air and marched down the hall, shouting: “PUSH YOURSELF!”

Sans let out a relieved laugh as you started wheeling yourself down the hall after his brother, shouting apologies. He was surprised that you were catching up to Papyrus.

Wow…you had really great arm strength.

Sans caught up with you and Papyrus outside in the parking lot. Papyrus had you in his arms as he slowly transferred you from your wheelchair into the passenger seat of his convertible. It looked like Sans was going to be sitting in the backseat with your crutches.

“Nice of you to join us, lazy bones!” Papyrus said once he had noticed his brother. You playfully stuck your tongue out your boyfriend. You weren’t worried about hurting Sans’ feelings by teasing; Sans took as good as he gave.

“Sorry, some crazy intern tried to take me to the morgue.” Sans snickered, coming to the opened door of the passenger side. “Mistook me for one of the medical cadavers.”

You snorted, rolling your eyes up at your dorky boyfriend. Sans bent down to be eye level with you and run his hands over your cheeks. He pulled the seat belt over your shoulder and buckled you in. It was a little annoying that Sans was still babying you, but you said nothing.

If doing little things like :buckling your seat belt, unwrapping the papers on your straws, and standing as a guard outside the bathroom door whenever you needed to pee made Sans feel better…you’d grant him that.

Sans was pretending he was alright, but you could see right through him.

It was obvious he didn’t sleep a wink last night. There were dark crescents under his eye sockets and his clothes looked ruffled and dirty. Poor guy looked like he’d been put through the ringer. Even with your bruised skin, cast, and unshowered body, you looked a little better off than Sans.

Once everyone was settled in the car, with Papyrus at the wheel which was a little frightening, you set off for home. Surprisingly, Papyrus was a pretty good driver. Sure, he took corners a little too close, but he was better than an average student driver.

Staring out the passenger window, you tensed when you realized that you were driving down the same street you were attacked on. Papyrus calmly drove the car past Asgore’s flower shop, took the turn, and went down the street. You winced when you saw the track marks that the wheels of Sans’ bike had made on the road when you went skidding out of control.

Maybe it would be better if you just closed your eyes.

“Hey.”

Opening one eye, you glanced back at Sans. He had scooted himself as close as he could to you. With a worried glint in his eye sockets, Sans caressed your cheek softly. “Are you okay? Any headaches? Dizzy?”

You couldn’t help but smile. Sans was too much of a mother hen.

“’m fine, babe.” You soothed your boyfriend. “Being in the car makes me tired when I’m not the one driving.”

Sans recalled driving you home after your holiday light date and you falling asleep while he drove. He guessed he could believe you, even though he knew there was something stressing you out. He wasn’t going to push you, not when he was so happy to be bringing you home. He sighed, his fingers drumming on the soft skin of your cheek. “I’m only checking on you, babe.”

“MORE LIKE _CHECKING_ YOU OUT!”

Sans and you gaped in awe at Papyrus, who looked rather smug. Gob smacked, you couldn’t help but laugh. Papyrus laughed along with you, and soon Sans was joining. The three of you were still laughing as Papyrus pulled the car into the apartment building’s parking lot.

Once parked, you pushed at the car door and placed your functioning right foot down onto the ground.

“Wait!” Sans was at your side in an instant. “It’s icy! Here, give me.” Sans said as he gently took you into his arms. Sans’ left eye flickered blue and the scent of ozone surrounded you. With a gentle plop, you found yourself sitting on your living room couch.

“Magic.” Sans laughed at your surprised expression. Why should you be surprised anymore?

“Thanks bone boy.” You said, lifting your leg (with his help of course) up onto the cushion of the couch. Gingerly, Sans crawled onto the couch behind you and slowly guided your upper body down onto his lap.

With your head cradled in his lap, Sans began to run his phalanges along your skin and through your hair. His touch made you grimace; your hair felt so greasy and you were pretty sure you had flecks of dried blood in some strands.

You heard Papyrus run down the hall and knock on Toriel’s door. He was probably telling her, Asgore, and Frisk that you were home. As much as you loved your neighbors, all you wanted was to take a shower and sleep in your own bed.

Or in Sans’.

Wriggling out of Sans’ lap, you began to hop and drag yourself towards the bathroom.

“Woah! Slow down, killer.” Sans quickly stood and wrapped his arms around your waist. “Where we going?”

“Shower.” You groaned, leaning your head back to rest on Sans’ shoulder.

Sans frowned. “We’ve gotta wrap your leg and let’s take a bath instead. Bath’s better than a shower.”

“No bath. I’m utterly disgusting and sometimes a shower just feels better.” You said, grunting as Sans lifted you off your feet and began to carry you to the bathroom. Sans’ constant babying was beginning to get a little annoying now. The doctor gave you crutches for a reason. You had the ability to walk…sort of.

“We’ve gotta wrap your leg in a plastic bag so your cast doesn’t get wet. Plastic is too slippery when it’s wet and you’ll fall if you’re standing in the shower.” Sans reasoned, pushing open the door of the bathroom with his shoulder.

Sighing, you gave yourself a moment to rein in your frustration. He was trying to help you.

“Sans…I _want_ a shower. I will be fine.” You sighed, letting go of your grip on Sans.

Sans frowned, watching you hobble around the bathroom getting yourself a towel. Grabbing a plastic bag from the cabinet under t sink, you tugged the plastic up and over your entire cast. After tucking the edges of the plastic into the cast, you began shucking off your clothes.

“Okay.” Sans said, finding it hard to take his eye sockets away from your body. The body he thought he’d never touch again. “But I’m getting in with ya.”

You could hear the underlying want in Sans’ voice. A burning need began to crawl up your spine. No…there was no way you were going to have shower sex with Sans with a broken leg.

“I have a broken leg and I haven’t showered in two days…how can you possibly find me attractive right now?” You deadpanned. Sans smiled, wagging his brow bones at you.

Good god…sometimes you can’t believe that you willingly had sex with this man.

“I find you heart _breakingly_ attractive.” The white pin pricks of Sans eyes blinked out before they became little hearts.

You couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from your chest. You hobbled over to your lover and wrapped yourself around him. He held you tightly to his chest, the bones of his fingers clutching at the skin of your back. Your bruises and sore muscles were being irritated a bit, but it felt far too good to have Sans’ touching your body.

“Alright, bone boy.” You winked up at your lover once your laugh attack was under control. “But don’t get too fresh.”

“You expect me not to get _fresh_ and clean in the _shower_?” Sans asked, reaching down to knock at your cast. “I got _tibia_ honest babe, not gonna happen.”

Sighing, you wobbled away from your lover towards the shower, your one true love, that didn’t make puns about your broken leg.


	38. Shower Sinning*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
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The heated water felt incredible against your skin. Sans guided you under the spray. You cooed as soon as the hot water rushed over your hair and face. Shaking off like a wet dog, Sans laughed and shied away from the spray.

“Watch the leg there, handsome.” Sans said, making sure your wrapped leg was out of the spray. Nudging your cast with his food, Sans unintentionally caused your legs to spread. Sans eyes widened in surprise and sheepishness when you moaned as the chilly air bit at your skin.

“If you wanted me to spread ‘em, you could have asked.” Your words made Sans blush blue. Sans hands wound around the line of your hips to grasp at your bare ass. Your skin prickled and you pressed as much of your chest into Sans’ as you could.

“Woah!” You giggled when Sans fingers gently spread your ass cheeks to swipe his finger across your entrance. “Slow down there, bone boy. I’m jonesin’ for a bonin’, too, but let me use a little soap first. Please?”

Snickering at your desperate need for a washing, Sans waddled the two of you further under the spray of hot water. He reached out to your shampoo bar and began to scrub your hair. You egged him to scrub harder; hair didn’t get clean with gentle pets. While Sans rinsed out the bubbles from your hair, you began to scour your skin with your body wash. The quicker you got clean, the faster you could get…well, dirty.

You snorted at your mental thoughts. Sans, finishing up with your hair, glanced at you. “What’s so funny, babe?”

“N-nothing.” You giggled. “Just nothing.”

Sans hummed, his hands sliding up the soapy expanse of your back. “So you’re keeping secrets now, eh?”

You smiled, thankful that Sans was being playful. While his mother hen-ing was adorable, Sans had been lacking his usual comedic timing.

You could say that he was…sans comic.

Damn…you need to learn when to stop. 

“Them’s the _breaks_ , sweetheart.” You shook your covered leg. Sans hummed and wrapped his arms around you from behind. He squeezed you; the same way a child would squeeze their favorite teddy bear.  Your hands wrapped around Sans’ forearms, and rubbed along the dripping bone.

“’M so glad you’re home.” Sans whispered, burying his face in the crook of your neck. He breathed in deeply, taking in as much of your scent as he could. “Never leave me.”

Your heart swelled with love, and yet broke for him at the same time. “I’m here.”

Sans forehead was heavy against your shoulder. He huffed out a breath, the warm air curling around your neck. One of his arms that wound around you unfurled, and Sans reached down to wrap his fingers around your quickly hardening cock. 

A heat shot up from your cock and up your spine. You almost lost this; Sans’ touch. If that crazy landlady had killed you…you wouldn’t be here in Sans’ arms. You wouldn’t be here, feeling the pleasure that Sans was so eager to give to you.

“Tell me if something’s wrong, kay?” Sans’ grip around your torso tightened as he gently tugged at your cock. His other hand slid between your legs to palm and fondle your balls, his thumb stretching back to press teasingly against your puckered entrance. Your legs shook and you could feel the flimsy wet plastic covering your cast slip a little on the bottom of the tub; but Sans held you tight.

You nodded, your mind becoming misty with pleasure. That happened to you whenever Sans had you in his arms, your mind seemed to rocket off to a whole other galaxy.

One of your hands pressed against the cold shower wall to give yourself some sense of stability. Your other hand fell to your side, where it hooked up. You were able to grab onto the ridge of Sans’ hip bone and squeeze. His bones, warm and hard in your hands, grounded you to the here and now.

Deep breath in.

You were here. At home. In the shower with Sans.

Deep exhale.

Sans’ arm holding your torso followed the movements of your chest, not restricting your deep breathing.

“Keep breathin’, baby boy.” Sans whispered, adding a twist to his wrist with every tug of your cock. You didn't know how much longer you could hold on, but did it truly matter? All that mattered was your lover’s hands all over your cock, balls, and quivering entrance as if his life depended on it. Your legs shook harder. It was too much- the rough tug of bone pumping up and down your shaft was far too much. Your muscles spasmed wildly.

Not there…you didn’t want it to end here.

Yanking his hand away from your balls, you pushed his full hand back towards your aching entrance. Sans laugh was rough, a deep gravel that made you clench your thighs. Fuck, it was unfair that the mere noises he made were able to turn you into a needy mess.

Sans was _loving_ this. He had you, all wet and hard in the shower, whimpering.

_And all his._

He loved the way your body wriggled against the iron grip he kept around your torso. Your chest pressed into the harness of his ulna,  your sensitive nipples rubbing against the bone. Your ass was pressing into his pelvis, and Sans loved the way your fleshy end molded to his harness.

It took every ounce of magic in his body not to throw your back to the wall, kneel between your legs, and suck every bit of your orgasm out of your mouthwatering cock.

That would have to wait.

Teasingly, Sans circled the outside of your entrance. Your hips bucked, trying to get the teasing fingers inside of you. Your head fell back onto Sans’ shoulder and you slumped against your skeleton. You weren’t asking for much, only a few fingers. Sans pulled his hand away and brought it to his mouth, where his glowing tongue saturated the bone in sticky glowing saliva. 

Thank god monsters understood the importance of lube. 

“Sans~” A desperate whine fell from your quaking lips. “Need it..”            

Dipping the tip of his pointer finger into your entrance, Sans was quick to pull away and give your cock a fast tug when you tried to press down. “Ah, ah…you’ll take what I give you, babe.”

Another pained whimper.

“After all, you were almost taken from me. Weren’t you?” Sans sweet coo was dripping in sadness. He was still hurting. Even thinking about living a life without you caused him near crippling pain.

“I’m here…I’m here.” You panted, digging your nails into the ridge of his hip. “Still here…always here.”

“Promise me?” Sans voice sounded just as breathless as yours. He gave your cock another lengthy, strong pump that almost made your legs crumble underneath you. “Promise me.”

“Yes! Y-yes, Sans…I promise. I’m here.” You figured actions might be louder than words.

You had to fight to wriggle your way out of Sans’ iron grip. Your lover stretched out to try and pull you back to his ribs, but you pulled away firmly. If you were to really prove to Sans that you were here; you would have to take the reins.

Cautious of your leg, you nudged Sans against the shower wall. The blades of his shoulders tapped against the damp wall and your lover shivered. “Cold, babe?”

“The exact opposite.” Sans shuddered, smiling at you. Brushing your wet locks out of your eyes, you pressed your torso against San’s quaking ribs. Your drenched skin slid along his marble-esq bones and made your skin tingle in delight.

Licking your lips, you set your tongue to work against Sans’ beautiful bones. Your tongue mapped the crevices of Sans’ neck vertebra and slid down to his collar bone. Sans’ tried to grab ahold of your hips, but you were quick to take hold of his wrists. Slamming his hands down against the wall, you stretched to whisper into where your lover’s ear would have been…if he had them.

“Only I touch.” You whispered, loving the way that Sans whimpered and thrust his hips up to meet yours. The harsh buck of bones against your sensitive cock made your eyes cross. The sharp pain was quickly followed by warm pleasure that seeped down into your muscles.

Your lips fervently returned to their work at Sans’ collar bones, licking and sucking as best as you could. You wound your tongue around the rim of San’s sternum and scraped your teeth against the lovely scented bone.

The loud crack that was the back of Sans’ skull hitting the shower wall made you jump. The most euphoric groan you had ever heard fell from Sans’ mouth. His eye sockets, one a black swirling void and the other a glowing blue, watched you with the utmost carnal need burning in his orbs.

“_________...please.” Sans voice, husky and full of need, made your every nerve tingle.

Grasping and roughly digging the pads of your thumbs into his pelvis, you trailed kisses up Sans’ jaw to the side of his skull. “Make your cock for me, bone boy? Let me please you, babe.”

His jaw opening with a sharp intake of air, Sans moaned your name and nodded. Smirking hungrily, you watched as a cyan glow traveled down his spine to swell at his pelvis. In a blink of your eye, Sans’ glowing cock was bobbing between his femurs.

“Thank you, babe.” You whispered, fisting the thick cock between your hands and giving the magical muscle one good pump.  Sans arched his spine as your pumping quickened. You wanted to see him blow; to completely let himself go and allow you to bring him somewhere wonderful.

But, you couldn’t ignore the hunger that was gnawing at your insides.

Clinging to San’s shoulder, you hooked your good leg up and over Sans’ hip. The underside of your cock pressing against Sans’ and the velvet glass of the head of his cock brushed against your rock hard cock. Rocking your hips forward, Sans’ blue length slid euphorically against your own. Sans’ dick was tingly, the feeling of him brushing against your cock was like fizzy water bubbling against your skin. It was electric, it was enthralling.

 _Addicting_.

Sans gripped your ass and began to lift you up and wrap your legs around him. Surprised by his feat of strength, you clutched nervously to your lover's shoulders and wriggled helplessly. When the head of Sans' drenched cock pressed against your twitching entrance, you understood what Sans was attempting to do. 

“S…n-.no…I don’t want...our first time…to be in t-the shower…with broken bones” You managed to huff out. He regained control, unhooking your leg from around his hip and gently setting you down.

Although frustrated, Sans understood.

That didn’t make the need between your legs go away though.

“But I…I need _something_ baby.” You whimpered, sagging into Sans’ arms.

“I won’t leave you hangin’, baby boy.” Sans said, his boney fingers traveling down the outside of your thigh. When those magical fingers coasted across your ass cheeks and carefully parted them, you let out a loud groan.

“Please…” You begged, reaching down with a quaking hand to wrap around both of your cocks. The heat of your conjoined cocks pressing and rutting up against each other was incredible, you couldn't help but shut your eyes at the amazing sensation. 

“ _Yeeesss_ …” Sans growled, licking his fingers once more and sliding one digit carefully inside of you. Jolting at the stinging sensation, Sans was quick to give it to you gently, and before you knew it, you were begging Sans for more. His one digit became two, and soon he was stretching and scissoring your needy hole. Sans’ fingers felt so perfect inside you, pressing against the soft inner muscles and sensitive spots.

Thumbing the head of his cock, you caused Sans to gasp just as he slid a third finger into your ass. There was a throbbing stretch that felt so perfect. Like the entire universe was aligning.

Sans’ fingers between your cheeks sped up, his knuckles slapping lewdly against your skin. Loud squelching noises from your hand pumping your engorged cocks spurred you on. You wanted, no _needed_ , to see Sans’ eyes flare up with blue light. You needed to see the shuddering and shaking of his bones as he came undone beneath your fingers.

Sans was focused on bringing you over the edge, as well.

Loving the way your body took his fingers, Sans couldn’t take his eye sockets off of you. The water glistening off your skin, your eyes glazed over with the most carnal of pleasures. Sans loved that you needed him, how your body needed him to get someplace magical.

Feeling your muscles tightening around his fingers, Sans movements became even more fevered. He needed to see your body become undone. He wanted your hole to clench down and come all over his cock. Crooking his fingers in a come-hither motion, Sans almost cried at the look of pure ecstasy that crossed your face.  

_Ohhh…and you  were close._

“SANS!” You cried, your hips bucking wildly against his fingers. Your hands, still pumping your cocks together, massaged and squeezed until Sans’ hips began to twitch and his breathing began to hitch. You could feel his cock twitching in your grasp and urging you to pump faster.

You couldn’t wait until you could feel his cock twitching inside of you.

With that final thought causing a spark, the fire of your orgasm shot straight down your spine. Your muscles trapping his fingers inside of you, Sans moaned wildly as he watched your cock twitch and spurt out thick ropes of cum, covering his glowing blue cock and gliding down your wrist. 

Hissing, Sans bucked into your hand one final time before he came. Blue come shot out his twitching cock, splattering against your cock, hand, and lower stomach. You refused to release his length, choosing instead to milk him through his orgasm and rut against him. Sans seemed to have the same idea; his fingers gently massaging your inner walls with sensitive strokes.

“__-_______.” Sans croaked, his free hand coming up to tilt your chin.

Looking up at your wonderful skeleton, you eagerly pressed your lips against his awaiting mouth. The kiss he bestowed upon you was slow, heated, and filled with warm adoration. Pulling away from his mouth was one of the hardest things you’d ever had to do.

“I love you, Sans.” You whispered, feeling your remaining strength quickly draining away. Sans noticed your lax muscles and held you with his free arm. With a final stroke at your stretched hole, Sans slid his slick fingers out of your ass and took you fully into his arms. You released your iron grip on your cocks, but whimpered at the loss. 

“I love you too, baby boy.” Sans peppered your flushed cheek with sweet kisses. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

You hummed, nuzzling to Sans’ scapula. You couldn’t muffle your groan of exhausted pleasure as the shower was turned off and a soft towel was draped over your form. Warm and in the arms of the skeleton boy you loved, you felt at peace.

“Want to nap, baby?” Sans whispered, holding you lovingly to his chest. Sleepily, you nodded your head and pressed a wet kiss to his clavicle.

“Cuddle?” You asked, inhaling the scent of old books, tomatoes, and musk.

“Hmmm…” Sans pretended to think, carrying you across the hall and into your bedroom. Tucking your still naked body into the sheets, Sans slid into bed next to you and tugged you into his body. “Of course you get cuddles, baby.”

Smiling smugly, _you got what you wanted after all,_ you closed you heavy lids. In your exhaustion, you could feel Sans squirming around to get settled. The plastic bag around your cast was tugged off and the blanket was tucked around you.

Smiling, you let yourself sleep in your own bed.


	39. 4 Days and One Less

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

It had taken two hours of deliberation to get Sans to agree to go back to work. Your leg had been stuck in the god forsaken cast for about three weeks, and every day Sans had been hovering over you. He had taken some time off of work, but you knew he couldn’t keep taking days off.

Your manager had given you three weeks off, and this was your final week at home. Learning how to use your crutches had been a handful, but you managed to get around. You wouldn’t be able to carry heavy files, but you could still answer phones and emails.

But something was up.

Today…today Sans _would not_ leave your side.

He was twitchy and reacted in an almost paranoid fashion. A small noise?  Sans would jump like a frightened cat. The wind shaking the windows? Sans would hurriedly pull you away from the window as if it were going to kill you.

All you wanted to do was spend your final week off in peace.

You kept your eyes on Sans as he nervously puttered around the apartment. The poor skeleton couldn’t seem to keep still for longer than a minute. You tried to coerce him into watching a movie with you on the couch, but Sans was unable to make it past the previews before he started twitching.

It went on like that all day. Sans had even begun cleaning… _cleaning_! He said he was trying to get out all of his nervous energy.

Your boyfriend…

Your lazy boyfriend….

Probably one of the laziest persons you’ve ever met…

Had so much nervous energy that he was currently vacuuming the entire apartment like the High King was about to come over for a visit.

At least Sans was trying to work the nervous energy out in a healthy way.

Sans didn’t seem to be over doing himself, so you decided not to stop his cleaning. Hey, if he thought that moving around would calm him down, who were you to stop him? But, you kept a watchful eye on your lover.

Just in case he needed you.

Your poor boyfriend almost leapt out of his clothes when someone knocked at your door around noon. Sans slunk up to the door, as if some feral bear awaited him behind the wooden barrier.

Rolling your eyes, you pushed yourself off the couch and settled the crutches under your arms. Swinging yourself past Sans, who whispered your name and tried to pull you away from the door, you unlocked and opened the door.

So Sans had started locking the front door again?

Sans let out a massive relieved sigh when the knockers turned out to be Toriel and Frisk. The little child rushed into the apartment, almost knocking you down. You and Toriel laughed as her child bounded into the kitchen in search of the treats they knew you kept hidden in the bottom cabinet.

“Morning, Tori. How’s it going?” You asked, adjusting yourself so that you could lean most of your weight on the door frame. Toriel peered curiously into the living room. Sans was sitting on the couch, peering cautiously over the edge of the back.

You swear, sometimes he acts like a little angry dog.

“I’m doing well.” Toriel said, warily watching Sans. She was probably remembering when Sans slammed the door in her and Frisk’s faces. “How are you fairing? Getting along better with your crutches, I see.”

“Much better. It’s starting to itch like crazy and I’m tired of showering with my leg wrapped in a garbage bag, but I’m almost in the clear.” You sighed. You only had a few more weeks left to suffer through.

Toriel glanced down at your casted leg. “I’ve been reviewing my old text books on restoration magic. I was going to be either a doctor or a teacher Underground before I became the Queen..” Toriel offered. She was sure she could conjure up some magic that wouldn’t harm you.

Sans, from behind the couch, called. “I thought you said that using magic on his leg was too dangerous.” He said with an accusatory glare.

Toriel blushed. “When the break was fresh and new, my magic might have altered the way ________’s body healed. Now that his body is set on its own healing path naturally, maybe some magic might help instead of hinder.”

Sans frowned, cautiously watching the ex-Queen. Could he trust Tori with your health? What if she hurt you? You’d be stuck in that cast longer than necessary all because she couldn’t control her magic.

Sans shook his head.

What was wrong with him? This was _Toriel_ he was thinking about! She would heal Papyrus whenever he wasn’t feeling well. Tori would never hurt anyone; it was the exact opposite of her gentle nature.

“That sounds great Tori. Even if all you can do is make the itching STOP!” You said, glaring down at your wrapped leg. It felt like ants were crawling up and down your skin. The inability to scratch your itch was driving you up the wall. It had even kept you up at night sometimes.

Tori smiled, nodding her horned head. “I’ll keep reading my healing books then! Which reminds me, would you be able to watch Frisk for a few hours? I have a commissioned rug to finish for tomorrow morning and I ran out of fabric glue and certain threads.”

You eagerly nodded. You hadn’t spent time with Frisk or their parents in a while. The goat-family had been spending so much time together; going on little family trips and time together. You’d love to spend some time with your favorite little neighbor.

Toriel sighed in relief. “Thank you so much, _________! Asgore is at the shop and Frisk isn’t allowed to go back because of… _indecent_ _incidents_.”

The mother glanced towards her child, who was peering at her from the kitchen.

Toriel caught your curious look.

“Frisk kept flirting with all the customers.” Toriel sighed, rubbing her temples. Sometimes, her child was a handful. Adorable, but still a handful.

You snickered, glancing over at Frisk. Damn, you loved that little kiddo.

Frisk winked at you, wagging their eye brows. This kid was going to be a heart breaker when they were old enough to date. Toriel thanked you once more, hugged you goodbye, and left the apartment with the promise to be back in a few hours.

“Frisk, what are you hunting for in there?” You made your way to the kitchen, where you found your favorite little neighbor sticking their entire arm into the cookie jar that had once been on the counter. Smiling innocently up at you, Frisk batted their eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, just one cookie, ya little noodle.” You laughed, plucking the jar from Frisk’s arms and placing it back onto the counter. How did they even reach the jar?

When you were about to go back into the living room, Frisk grabbed your hand. “What’s wrong, big boss?”

Frisk frowned, glancing towards the living room where they assumed Sans was still perched on the couch _. ‘What’s wrong with Uncle Sans?’_

Looking down at the little child, you smiled. “Sans is having a bad day. You have them, don’t you?”

Frisk nodded, remembering just a few days ago when that rotten Billy at school had made fun of them and tried to pull their hair. Frisk didn’t want Sans to be having a bad day; their uncle deserved nothing but good days. Looking down at the final cookie that you had given them, Frisk darted out into the living room.

As predicted, Sans was still sitting on the couch. He looked incredibly grumpy, with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. Sans didn’t care today; he was so done with today that he didn’t even care if there was another reset. That’s how frustrated Sans was.

Frisk rushed to Sans side, jumping onto the couch and practically crashing into their uncle’s arms. Unbalanced, the child almost fell off the couch, but luckily Sans’ reaction time was perfect. Sans quickly wrapped his arm around Frisk and held them before they could fall.

“Where’s the _fire_? If you’d have fallen you could have gotten rug _burn_.” Sans’ joke fell a little flat. Frisk smiled up at their uncle and waved the cookie in front of his face. “That one of ____________’s cookies?”  

Frisk nodded. ‘ _For you!’_

“For me?” Sans chuckled. “How _sweet_ of you.”

 _‘You’ll feel better if you eat it. No more bad day.’_ Frisk signed, tapping the cookie against Sans’ closed mouth. Sans froze, looking down at the sweet hearted child. He could feel tears beginning to well up in his eye sockets.

“Thanks, big boss.” Sans opened his mouth and gripped the cookie with his teeth. “You’re the best.”

Frisk smiled, nodding their head. They were glad that they could help make their uncle happy. Sans adjusted his grip on Frisk, taking the small child off his lap and plopping them down onto the couch. Frisk giggled as they bounced around on the cushions.  

 _‘Where you going?_ ’ Frisk signed, watching their uncle smile and nod towards the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

“Just gonna go catch some z’s, kiddo.” Sans feigned a yawn, hoping that Frisk wouldn’t question him. He was feeling exhausted, despite it being in the early afternoon and  not having done anything strenuous.

‘ _Uncle Paps would call you lazy bones right now._ ’ Frisk sighed mischievously.

“What can I say? Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eye sockets closed.” Sans winked before slinking off into his bedroom and shutting the door.

Standing in the arch of the kitchen, you watched your lover lock himself away. His behavior was beginning to make you nervous. PTSD often came with anxiety, depression, and paranoid behavior. Sans wasn’t acting as he normally did.

Frisk, too, noticed the shift in their uncle’s behavior.

You shrugged, hoping you could calm Frisk better than you could calm yourself. “Bad day, like I said, big boss. Sans just needs to…s-sleep it off.”

The young child hummed, shrugging their shoulders. They hoped you were right, but they couldn’t help but be disappointed. They had wanted to ask their uncle a question. Oh well…it would have to wait.

You came into the living room and playfully mussed their hair. “Everything’s fine, big boss.”

With a huge grin now spreading across their face, Frisk nodded.

* * *

 

 

Sans didn’t come out of his bedroom for four days.

By the second day, you were driving yourself up the wall. You’d knocked and tried to talk to your lover through the wooden barrier…but he never responded. Every so often you’d hear Sans sigh or move around, but he never answered your pleas.

“Brother!” Papyrus was growing worried as well, especially when Sans did not leave his room for breakfast the morning after you watched Frisk. “Brother, are you alright?”

As usual, Sans did not answer. Papyrus turned the knob, but the door was still locked. Papyrus sighed, banging on the door. You heard a grunt from somewhere in the room, but no words.

“Get up you lazybones!” Papyrus’ angry tone hid the worried spark in his eye sockets.

You grabbed Papyrus’ shoulder and squeezed the bone. Maybe it would be best if you left Sans alone for a bit. As long as you could hear him making noises behind the door…you knew he was still…you knew he hadn’t…

You didn’t want to think that Sans was capable of…

Shaking your head, you gently lead Papyrus away from Sans’ door. He didn’t come away without a fight, but he soon followed you into the kitchen. Papyrus was extremely worried about his brother; Sans hadn’t locked himself away like this since they still lived behind the barrier.

“Let’s give him some time.” You soothed the younger brother. Papyrus frowned, taking a seat at the counter. Crossing his arms, the taller skeleton hid his face in the bones.

“This…is not good.” Papyrus’ voice waivered. “First, Mettaton leaves, and then you get hurt, and now Sans is acting funny.”

Frowning, you rubbed Papyrus’ armored back. This month had not been the best.

“Things will get better soon Paps.” You tried to soothe the taller skeleton.

Papyrus sniffled, wiping at his damp eye sockets with the back of his hand. “You promise?”

“Promise, bro.” You leaned down and pressed a kiss to Papyrus’ cheekbone.

* * *

 

 

On the fourth day of Sans’ personal incarceration, you found yourself along in the kitchen.

You had been unable to sleep restfully for more than a few hours. The past four days had been very hard for you. Your bed felt cold and empty, as did the rest of the apartment. You hadn’t heard your lover’s voice or known his touch in four days…it was beginning to make your skin crawl.

You knew that Sans must have teleported out of his room at some point, because you noticed the few empty ketchup and hot sauce bottles in the garbage. You pushed the empty hot sauce bottles to the bottom of the garbage and made sure they were covered. Papyrus didn’t need to see them and worry more about his brother.

Doubling up your usual amount of coffee, you sat listlessly in the kitchen. What should you do? You supposed you could break into your lover’s room. You could take Sans’ door off the hinges, but that means you’d need to find a screwdriver. Maybe you could just throw your body weight against the door or go at it with the biggest hammer you could find.   

After all, four days was a long time to lock yourself away. Sans promised you if his PTSD or depression became too much that he would talk to a professional. Should you call Alphys? You didn’t know her all that well, but you knew she was a doctor. Could she help at all?

As you pondered your options, a bang jolted you from your thoughts. Was Sans up? Did he fall? The loud bang turned into a series of furied and frenzied bangs. Racing into the living room, you realized that the rapid banging was someone knocking at the door. It sounded like they were trying to break in, rather than knock to get your attention.

A cold shot of fear traveled up your spine.

Should you open the door? What if it was the crazy landlady? The detective handling your case had said that the police had yet to find her and pick her up. Could she have found your home?

“Sans!” You called out worriedly. “Come here, please!”

No response.

You felt fear running up and down your spine. You wished your boyfriend would acknowledge the fear in your voice and come out of his bedroom.

“Sans! Please!” You said, having to shout over the psychotic banging. The person on the other side of your door began to pound louder and faster.

But he didn’t come.

Sucking in a deep breath of air for courage, you made your way over to your door. There was no peep hole, and the person on the other side wasn’t making a sound. All you could hear was heavy, panicked breathing over the pounding.

Pulling open your door, you were almost bowled over by Toriel.

“SANS!” You screamed in fright before you comprehended your friend. For a flash of a second, you had thought an intruder had forced their way in. When you realized it was Tori, you released a relieved breath…until you saw her state.

The beautiful goat mother rushed in, darting frantically around the room. Her clothes, nothing but snail patterned pajamas, were wrinkled and her usually pristine fur was frizzy and unbrushed. Tears were streaming down her muzzle and her hands were shaking violently.

“FRISK!” Toriel screamed, dashing into your apartment. She searched the living room before running into the kitchen. She banged around the kitchen like a monster on a mission, even going as far to pull open the fridge to glance inside.

“Tori! What’s wrong?” You asked, but you already had an idea of what was happening.

Toriel, sobbing, turned around and confirmed your worst fear.

“Frisk is gone!”


	40. Dust To Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:  
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
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Your heart was pounding in your chest like a drum. Frisk was gone! It had taken a moment for the horrible news to sink in. You sat Toriel down at the kitchen counter before running down the hall as best you could. Skidding to a stop in front of Sans’ bedroom door, you began to slam your fists against the wood.

“SANS! SANS!” You cried, tears welling up in your eyes. You were in shock; you didn’t know what to do. Sans would. Sans was always level headed and he would know how to find Frisk. He’d know how to make everything better.

No one came.

“SANS! PLEASE!” You cried. Your entire body was seizing up in fear. Every ounce of your body and soul yearned for the safety of your boyfriend’s arms. The most primal part of you was demanding to be protected by your lover. “SANS! I NEED YOU!” You screamed, your voice shrill and hoarse.  

No one answered.

“Frisk is missing! Sans!” You sobbed, slamming harder on the door. You could hear Toriel sobbing in the kitchen. You had told her to call Asgore before you had run off to get Sans, but it sounded like the massive king was not answering his phone.

The door swung open.

Sans quickly gathered you into an embrace, picking you up into his arms. He smelled awful, like stale ketchup and old hot sauce. You held your breath and almost gagged when you breathed in his scent. It smelt like Sans had been sweating a decent amount as well, if his dirty, stained, and sweat-damp clothes were anything to go by.

With you safe in his arms, Sans stormed into the kitchen.

“Tori! What’s happened to Frisk?” Sans’ voice was broken and hoarse, like dry nails on a chalkboard. He held you tighter in his arms as Toriel let out a broken sob, her cell phone clutched in her hand.

“F-Frisk went into their bedroom to play, and…and w-when I went to ch-check up on them, they were gone!” Toriel sobbed, tossing her phone down onto the kitchen table. The beautiful goat began to sob freely into her clawed hands. What could she do?

She couldn’t stand to lose another child.

“So the last place you saw them was their bedroom.” Sans said, his grip on you still firm and holding you tightly to his ribs. You wrapped your arms around his neck and nuzzled into him. Even though he smelled like he’d been living in a tornado of garbage; you still were starved for physical touch and comfort.

“How long do you think they’ve been gone?” Sans asked.

Toriel sniffled, glancing at the clock on the stove. “No longer than an hour.”

“They couldn’t have gotten far.” Sans said, adjusting his grip on you. He swung your body and hitched you up onto his hip like a small child. Keeping your grip on his neck, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he held you to his body with one strong arm. “We need to call or look into all the places they could have run off to.”

Sans pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to you. Sans went over to the counter and pried you off of him before setting you down onto the cool faux-marble. “Call Grillby and Burgerpants. Their numbers are in the contacts. Ask if Frisk is with them.”

B-Burgerpants?

Standing tall and strong, Sans turned to Tori. “I’m gonna check their room to double check if they’ve left any clues.”

Broken, Toriel nodded feebly.

Feeling your body begin to shake, you flicked your thumb across the screen of Sans’ phone. Pulling up the contacts list, you found the number for ‘Burgerpants’ first and hit the call button. It rang a few times before a smoky, bored voice answered.

“Yeeeeeeelllo, Sans.”

“ _Uh…Ahh…_ hi.” You stuttered. You’d never been too great at speaking to strangers on the phone. “This is __________, Sans’ boyfriend.”

“Oh, heya, buddy.” Burgerpants said, the bored tone not leaving his voice. “What can I do for ya?”

“W-well, Sans and I are looking for Frisk. You know them? Little kid, about eight, dark hair to their shoulders-”

“Oh yeah, my little buddy! Wait! They’re missing!?” Burgerpants’ bored tone quickly became nervous. “I haven’t seen ‘em, but I’ll keep an eye out for them. Tell Sans I’ll tell Bratty and Catty to keep a look out, too.”

“Th-thanks. Uhh..we’ll call you if anything changes.” You said, looking at Toriel who was feverently trying to reach Asgore. It seemed like the ex-king still wasn’t answering his phone.

“Please do, little buddy.” Burgerpants sighed. “I’m on the clock. I’ll call if I see them.”

“Thanks.” You said again before hanging up. You repeated the process with Grillby, who also was horrified to hear that your little neighbor was missing. The flame elemental promised to call if Frisk showed up to the pub and that he would ask all of his customers if they had seen Frisk.

“Thank the stars!” Toriel suddenly shrieked. Asgore had finally answered his cell phone “Frisk is gone! Dreemy, we have to find them! My baby…my little baby.”

Unsure of what to do, you clasped the cell phone in your shaking hands and waited for Sans to return.

* * *

 

 

The flower shop was booming (or should he say _blooming_ ) today. So many customers were coming in to either pick up orders, to set up deliveries, or to order fresh flowers. Papyrus and Asgore had not a free moment to spare; not even to sit down. Asgore even began mentally debating if he should hire another employee. This was too much work to share between two people.  

The majestic goat-king could feel his cell phone ringing every so often in his apron pocket, but he couldn’t answer it. There were too many customers and it would be unfair to leave Papyrus alone with the hoard.

Finally, a few hours after the initial boom, there was a break in the flow of customers. Reaching into his pocket, Asgore pulled out and flicked his phone.

20 missed calls, all made within the last hour.

Asgore’s magic went cold.

He knew something was wrong the moment he called Tori back, and she answered during the first ring. His wife (ex-wife? They were still technically divorced…did that make Toriel his girlfriend?), usually so calm and collected, was sobbing into the phone. He could barely make out what she was saying.

“Frisk is gone!” Toriel sobbed.

Everything froze.

Flashes of the past, which seemed like an entire lifetime ago. Two children, with their laughter filling up their home. Toriel in his arms, watching their children carefully. The return of his family…with Frisk and Toriel once more in his arms. That spark brought back into her eyes when she held Frisk that he had thought died with Asriel and Chara.

He could see it all again. If Frisk wasn’t found…

Toriel would be utterly broken.

* * *

 

 

Hopping off the counter, you rushed to Tori’s side to comfort her. You rubbed her shoulders and back; the same way that Sans does for you whenever you’re upset.  Toriel sobbed out the tale to Asgore, the shock of possibly using another child shaking her to her very core.

You pulled your hand away from Tori’s shoulder. You should get her some tea, or water at the very least. When you pulled your hand away from your neighbor’s furry shoulder, your hand felt chalky. As if you had swiped your hand over a shelf that had not been dusted in a long time. Looking down at your palm, you noticed dusty residue on your hand.

_What the…?_

Sans came back into the apartment, holding a small stack of papers in his hands. He looked like he saw a ghost! His breathing was heavy and his hands were shaking so violently that the papers were rustling.

“Tori, how long has Frisk been drawing this?” Sans placed the papers down in front of the goat-monster.

“Sans…” You whispered, still looking at the small layer of dust in your hand in horror.

“D-drawing what?” Tori asked, looking down at the papers. They were some of Frisk’s drawings.

“Flowey.” Sans’ voice was hoarse. “ _The  s m i l i n g  f u c k i n g  f l o w e r…”_

Toriel glanced up at Sans in horror. She had never connected the dots before. It was common for children to draw flowers and give non-sentient objects smiley faces. Why hadn’t she realized that Frisk wasn’t just drawing an innocent smiling flower? They were drawing Flowey!

“How long?” Sans asked again, his voice hoarse. He was scared out of his skull. Four days ago, when he thought he couldn’t care if there was another reset, he was lying.

Sans would to **_anything_** to avoid another reset.

“Sans!” You grabbed Sans’ shoulder with your un-dusty hand and shook him.

“ _WHAT_!” Sans growled at you. The white pin pricks of his eyes were gone and his eye sockets were now nothing but dark black voids.

You thrust your palm at your boyfriend, who looked down in confusion. At the sight of dust in your palm, Sans’ jaw dropped open in shock. He wrapped his hand around your wrist and tugged your hand closer for inspection.

“Babe…what?”

“I touched Tori’s shoulder.” You said. Seeing the look of disbelief on Sans’ skull, you reached out and brushed Toriel’s shoulder once more with your clean hand. A plume of dust rose from her fur, covering your skin and making your hand dusty.

“T-tori…You’re…you’re…” Sans was horrified, gently pushing you out of the way. He grabbed his ex-queen by her shoulders and squeezed, wincing at the granules of dust that fell to the floor. Toriel looked up at Sans, sheer defeat in her eyes.

“You need to lie down. Relax, Tori.” Sans said, helping the beautiful goat to her feet. He led her into the living room couch, where he instructed her to and rest. Sans had begun to sweat, big droplets of cyan sweat dribbling down his skull.

Not knowing exactly what was going on with Tori, but assuming it was bad, you stood in the archway of the kitchen. You knew that when monster’s died, they turned to dust…but Sans had said that happened instantly. Was Toriel dying?

Sans came back to you, hurrying you further into the kitchen. “Babe, Tori’s gonna stay here and I’m going to go look for Frisk.”

“Not by yourself. I’m coming with you.” You said sternly.

Sans sighed, pinching the bone between his eye sockets in frustration.  “I need you to stay here and take care of Tori. And to watch out if Frisk comes back.”

That sounded reasonable, but you didn’t want to leave Sans alone. What if he never came back? What if someone took Frisk, with them being an important political figure as the Ambassador for monsters, and kidnapped them for their association with monster-kind? What if someone took Sans while he was out looking for Frisk?  

From the couch, Toriel let out an anguished moan.

“What’s wrong with her?” You asked worriedly. “I thought monsters turned to dust instantly…is she sick? You haven’t done that when you or Paps were sick.”

Sans ground his teeth together, his gravelly voice lowering to a whisper. “When a monster…loses their will to live, they begin to deteriorate. Toriel’s cells are beginning to turn to dust.”

Your jaw dropped in horror. Toriel couldn’t die.

“If we don’t find Frisk, _soon_ , she’ll come apart and turn to dust.”


	41. Fences and Stripes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:  
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Sans was teleporting across the city as safely as he could. He went to Frisk’s school, the playground by the apartment complex, the gym where Undyne worked at as a personal trainer, and even the University laboratories that Alphys worked at.

He was already weak…so _weak_. He hadn’t slept in days and hadn’t eaten anything decent either. Hot sauce, while wonderful and numbing, did also fuck up Sans’ magic reserves. Teleporting was taking a huge toll on his body. When his magic was stretched too thin, it caused burning agony to course through his bones in place of where his magic once flowed.

He couldn’t let you or Toriel down.

Pushing himself to his limits was made a little easier when Sans didn’t focus on the burning agony. He used you as a placebo, forcing the pain back with thoughts of you. How your hair and skin felt between and under his fingers and how your lips turned up when you smiled.  

Focusing on you made the hurt fade.

Sans was forced to take a break after he teleported to the bus station. His bones were quaking and he felt freezing cold. Slumping onto one of the bus benches, Sans began to take deep breaths. He felt so weak. Frustrated that he let himself become so physically weak, Sans covered his eye sockets with his hands.   

What could he do? He’d gone everywhere and couldn’t find Frisk. What if he never saw the little human again? Or worse; what if one day the human authorities found their remains? What if someone tried to take Frisk away forever? Tori would be devastated and would turn to dust.

Tears welled up in Sans’ eye sockets.

This wasn’t fair. He had a good life. He had friends, a decent job, a nice apartment, and a loving little family. He had the best brother in the world and the sweetest boyfriend.

Why did the universe always want to fucking destroy him?

“Shit…__________...I _don’t know what do to_.” Sans spoke into the empty air.

Before this nightmare started, Sans was feeling horrible. That paranoid feeling had returned in spades, most likely due to the traumatic experience of almost losing you. With your help, Sans had been feeling a lot better…but after your accident, Sans couldn’t feel calm.

It didn’t help that the landlady hadn’t been caught yet. Also, while looking for a home for his family, he’d come across so much bigotry and realized it would be hard to find someone who’d sell a home to a monster. Everything felt like it was falling apart and Sans could barely keep himself together. He’d been trying so hard to act normally, and he’d been doing so well. You hadn’t even noticed anything was wrong…well, not until he went AWOL and locked himself away.

Sans bit back a whimper, hid his face in his hands, and sat shaking on the bench.

With a jolt, Sans felt his cell phone ring in his pocket. Quickly jerking the device up to his skull, he answered with an exhausted hello.

“Sans, have you f-found Frisk yet?” Alphys asked. Sans ground his teeth together. If he had found Frisk, wouldn’t he had already called Alphys? He felt like biting off the small dinosaurs’ head, metaphorically of course.

“No. I haven’t.” Sans  managed to grind out as politely as he could. “You?”

“N-no.” Alphys stuttered. “But…uh…I-I need to tell you a-about…about…”

“About?” Sans led his friend impatiently. He didn’t have time for this.

“_-_________!” Alphys yelped, recognizing the anger in Sans usually calm tone. Sans froze, clutching his cell phone tightly to the side of his skull.

“What about him?” Sans asked, feeling what was left of his magic beginning to simmer. Alphys stuttered nervously,  her voice so butchered that it took Sans a moment to decipher what the other scientist was trying to say.

“WHERE _!? MY BABY IS WHERE!?”_ Sans screamed loud enough for the birds resting on the roof of the bus stop to become frightened and take flight.

* * *

 

 

Toriel slept fitfully on the couch under your careful watch. You sat on the opposite couch beside her, biting your lip as you watched dust filter onto the dark rug whenever your neighbor shifted or coughed in her sleep. Tori was literally deteriorating before your very eyes.

Why? Why did this happen to Tori, after she’s already lost so much?

You waited for about two hours, with no reply from anyone. The massive search party comprised of: Asgore, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, Mettaton, and a few people whom you’d never met, split up into pairs and scoured across the city.

By the time the second hour had passed and the third was well on its way, you couldn’t take much more waiting with nothing but silence.

You jammed on your sneaker onto your useful foot and grabbed one of Sans’ hoodies. You glanced back at Tori, who hadn’t moved an inch. She looked so tired; her fur had even begun to turn the color of dirty snow. The usually powerful woman looked so frail.

“I promised you, Tori. Nothing would happen to Frisk.” You whispered to your friend. “And if something is going to happen…it’ll be over my dead body.”

Shoving your cell phone into your pocket, you hobbled out of the apartment building.

You chose to use your car, seeing as going on foot with a broken leg wouldn’t get you far. Pretty sure it’s illegal to drive with a broken leg, but hey, you still have use of the foot you usually use to hit the pedal and press the break. Sans hadn’t let you get into the car since your accident, so you were a little rusty driving.

Like hell if that was going to stop you.

Driving around the city, you rolled down your window and asked anyone who would listen if they’d seen Frisk. You used a picture you had of them on your phone, but you didn’t have much luck. It was a big city; there were so many kids that looked like Frisk.

Feeling disheartened, you continued to drive around the city. Where would Frisk even go? Sitting at a red light, you angrily wrung your fingers around your steering wheel. When the light turned green…you didn’t know where to go. You could just drive around aimlessly, but there would be a chance of Sans seeing you. You were supposed to stay at home with Toriel, after all. The usual places that Frisk would go were being watched, so it would be a waste of time and effort to go there…

 _Flowey_.

The name that Sans hissed was bouncing around in your mind. 

What the hell was a flowey?

You recalled Frisk drawing a lot of smiling flowers, as you and Frisk did draw together often. You thought that Frisk just had a penchant for cute little yellow flowers with a smiley face. They also drew their mother, father, and very beautiful landscapes of Mount Ebott.

You slammed on your breaks.

 _Mount Ebott_.

* * *

 

 

Alphys for once, was keeping calm.

The little dinosaur was searching with Mettaton through the North East section of the city. The duo hadn’t seen hide or hair of the small child, but Alphys knew that time was of the essence. They had maybe one night to find Frisk before Toriel had irreversible damage.  Alphys kept going over the math in her head; the usual speed Frisk traveled at multiplied by the amount of time that they had been gone would equal the distance they could have traveled, but there were so many variables that she couldn’t confirm. Was Frisk even walking? What if they had taken a bus, or even worse, were taken away by someone.

“H-have you seen this child? They w-went missing earlier today.” Alphys asked a shop owner and showed a picture of Frisk on her phone. The shop owner narrowed her eyes and bent down to get a better look at the phone’s screen.

“Yeah!” The shop owner said, scratching her chin. “Kid was running that way. Someone else came by here lookin’ for ‘em though.”

Mettaton, who had come over after hearing the shop owner’s affirmation, frowned worriedly. Was someone chasing after his little starlight? “What did this person look like.”

“Man, driving a car. About this high, with hair like this.” The shopkeeper said, using their hands as measurements. “Wearing sneakers and-”

“A big blue hoodie? Wrinkled and looks like no one’s washed it?” Mettaton asked, his soul pounding in his belt. Had you found Frisk, or at least found their trail.

The shop owner nodded. “He seemed pretty determined to find the kid. Probably came by about twenty minutes after the kid did.”

“Thank you, darling! Thank you!” Mettaton was so relieved. He turned to Alphys, about to ask what their next step was, when the cyborg noticed the look of horror on his creator’s face. “What’s wrong, Alphys?”

“F-Frisk and ___________ went that way.” Alphys gestured to the road that the shop owner pointed out. “If they went straight…there’s only one place they could have gone.”

Mettaton quickly brought up his mental maps. When his processors showed him the path of the street he gasped and could feel his circuits jolt in shock.

The road led straight to the base of Mount Ebott.

* * *

 

 

You drove around the base of Mount Ebott a few times, but there was no sight of Frisk. The path that led up to the top of the mountain, where the hole where Frisk fell into was, was blocked off to the public by a rusty metal fence. Even if the path was open, it would be impossible for you to hobble up the mountain with your leg.

Driving down the one-way dirt road that circled the mountain, you spied a small hole in the wire fence. You slammed on your breaks and turned around in your seat to see it. The hole was certainly large enough for Frisk to crawl through.

“Fuck….fuck, fuck, fuck.” You hissed under your breath, driving around the mountain path as quickly as you dared. The sun was starting to set and the dirt road was still a little icy. You could loop around and maybe crawl up to the hole in the fence and call for Frisk. Maybe they were close enough to hear you and would come back.

“Whatever you’re doing, kid, it’s bad news.” You pressed your wrist into your throbbing temple. What the hell was Frisk thinking? Why go back to Mount Ebott; and were they even there?  

You were circling again, passing the ‘exit’ of the mountain. What looked like a battered mine shaft erupted from the mountain; and from that mine was where your monster friends surfaced from. As you passed the exit, something bright caught your eye. Just as you had when you spotted the hole in the wire fence, you slammed on your brakes.

Not only had you spied something bright; you had seen something striped.

 _Frisk_.

You threw your car into park and lunged out of the vehicle as fast as you could. You hobbled to the exit, using the trunks of trees and the rough rocks to help yourself along. Damn it, you should have brought along your crutches.

“Frisk!”

Your little neighbor looked up at you, something brown, yellow, and wilting in their arms.


	42. The Return of The...Frisk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Frisk seemed surprised to see you waddling up the path towards them. Why the hell would a path be so rocky? Why even make a path if you’re going to make it so poorly? It would probably be easier to walk through forest than on this uneven, rocky, muddy path.

“What thought _possessed_ you to come here?!” You couldn’t help but shout at your little neighbor. “Your parents are losing their minds!”

Frisk looked relatively okay. They were dirty and had a few scrapes here and there, but nothing worrisome or life threatening. The worst injury you could see was a scrape on Frisk’s chin, most likely from a face-first fall to the rocky ground.

Your little neighbor pursed their lips, clutching onto what looked like a dried out sunflower in their arms. You almost jolted back when you got close enough to see that the flower had a fucking face! The little creature looked like it was in agony; its eyes were clenched shut and its mouth was screwed into an anguished grimace.  

“What…Frisk? You need to get into the car, _now_.” You shook off your shock. You didn’t have time to ask questions about their new freaky little flower friend. Grabbing onto the back of Frisk’s collar, you practically dragged the small child down the path towards your car. The flower was making small grunts of discomfort whenever Frisk stumbled or was forced to make a little jump over a rock or pile of sticks.

Your leg was beginning to ache horribly. This better not fuck up your leg or you were going to go insane. There was no way in hell that you were wearing this cast for longer than you already had to.  Sans would be so pissed if you hurt your leg worse.

Breathless by the time you reached the car, you jerked open the back door and ushered Frisk to get in. They got in awkwardly, unable to let go of the sickly flower in their arms. You buckled them into the seat before hurrying over to the driver’s side door.

Once you were behind the wheel, you pulled your cellphone out of your cup holder. Turning the car on, you pressed the phone between your shoulder and ear as you slowly began driving down the mountain.

It took one ring for Asgore to answer.

 _“_________! Have you any good news?”_ Asgore sounded worried beyond belief.

“Better than good news, I have Frisk!” You said, watching the gravely road. Your nerves were on edge; you should not be talking on the phone while driving on this road. Not one of your smartest choices.

“ _Where_!?” Asgore sounded like he was ready to jump through the phone.

“On the mountain, right outside the barrier’s exit. They’ve got a little… _friend_ with them.” You said, unsure of how you should describe the little flower. They must be good for Frisk to want to take them back.

 _“I do not care if they have the devil himself with them! I’ll meet you at the base! How far are you?”_ Asgore’s breathing became heavy. Was he running?

“ _Uhhh_ …”You stuttered, glancing at the worn out signs that were placed crookedly at the sides of the road. “We’ve got about a…fifteen minute drive down. We’ll meet you at the bottom.”

With a hurried goodbye, you hung up the phone and tossed it to the side. You’d care about that later; right now your job was to get down the mountain safely.  The car jostled and bounced along the mountain road, but there was nothing you could do to smooth out the ride.

“Can…can I ask what’s up with the dried flower?” You glanced into the backseat through the rearview mirror. Frisk was cradling the brown and mustard colored flower in their arms. The flower’s roots were a nasty shade of infected green; in short, the flower looked well on its way to becoming compost.

Carefully cradling the flower in one arm, Frisk slowly began to sign with their free hand.

_‘Old friend. Was bad, but good now.’_

“B-bad?” You asked, worriedly. Great, you have a half dead ex-evil creature in your backseat. Is this how Seymour felt in that movie, _Little Shop of Horrors_. Was this plant from outer space and going to demand blood, too?

_‘Good now! Flowey deserves a second chance.’_

_Flowey_ …great, it has a name too. A name so cute and sweet that there was _no way_ it could be evil. Why the hell had Sans never mentioned an evil flower before?

 _Sans_.

Oh fuck, Sans was going to be so _pissed_.

“I-if you say so, big boss. Let’s just…get to your dad, okay?” Your grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Frisk worriedly pursed their lips and glanced out the window. ‘ _Dad and mom…mad at me?’_

Sighing, you carefully took a very steep turn. “They’re worried sick, Frisk. Why didn’t you tell anyone where you were going? You could have asked any one of us to take you here.”

Frisk frowned, not meeting your gaze. ‘ _No one would have wanted Flowey. He’s done bad things. Mom said no before.’_

“Just…when your parents say no, that doesn’t mean you go off and do whatever it is without them. You listen to your parents, Frisk. They don’t tell you ‘ _no’_ because they want to. They’re looking out for you, big boss.”

Frisk was silent for the rest of the ride down the mountain.

* * *

 

 

Papyrus and Asgore had been scouring the blocks around the flower shop when the king had received a phone call. Papyrus kept questioning the mailman, who seemed disgusted to be speaking to the skeleton. Pap noticed the man’s rude disgust; but finding Frisk was more important than ignoring racists.

“Papyrus!” Asgore called from down the street, his ears perked up in joy. “________’s found Frisk!”

“That’s WONDERFUL!” Papyrus cheered, running away from the snooty mailman and ran towards the royal. Much to Papyrus’ surprise, Asgore began to sprint down the street as fast as he could.

“YOUR MAJESTY! WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Papyrus yelled, slowly catching up to the massive goat monster. For a man that was over seven feet tall and was wider than a city sidewalk, Asgore moved incredibly fast. Papyrus had no fat or flesh to hold him back, so the lanky skeleton thankfully was able to catch up to the king.

“The exit of the mountain! ___________ says he picked Frisk up there! We’re meeting him at the base!” Asgore huffed and puffed in his effort to run faster. The mountain loomed over the horizon, and they would be there within fifteen minutes if they continued at this pace.

Horrified at where Frisk had run off to, Papyrus steeled himself for a long sprint. He couldn’t comprehend why Frisk would risk a trip to the mountain. It was too dangerous for a tiny human all alone. Pap also couldn’t understand why you’d be the one to find them.

Sans had told him that you were staying home with Toriel.

When they reached the base of the mountain, both monsters were out of breath. Wildly looking around, Papyrus was the first one to spot your car. “There they are!”

Your car came chugging down the mountain, slowly cautious as the rough road caused the vehicle to bounce. Asgore raced to the car and opened the door before you could fully put the car in park.

Asgore yanked Frisk from the car and tightly held the child in his arms. Frisk, who had laid Flowey down in the seat, giggled and snuggled into their father’s fur. The massive father began to whisper to his child and rock them.

“Human! What are you doing driving?” Papyrus was suddenly pulling open the driver’s side door and picking you up out of the seat. You’d admit that your leg was throbbing something fierce, but it was nothing too concerning. All you wanted to do was go home, make sure Tori was alright, and then sleep for days.

“I got an inkling about where to find Frisk. I didn’t think much, just got in the car and drove.” You said, wrapping your arms around your pseudo-brother’s shoulders. You felt exhausted.

Papyrus carried you over to the passenger side door and settled you down in the seat. “Do not worry anymore, dearest human! For I, the great Papyrus, shall drive us all home.”

Dear…God. Would you even make it home?

Asgore climbed into the backseat with Frisk, holding the child tightly in his grasp. Papyrus was quick to jump into the driver’s seat and buckle up. The tall skeleton masterfully maneuvered the car back onto the paved road.

“My child, what is…why is… _STOP THE VEHICLE_.”

Papyrus obediently slammed on the brakes.

Thank god for seat belts.

 You really didn’t feel like getting acquainted with the pavement _again_.

“What is that thing doing with you?!” Asgore’s booming voice shook the entire car. Wincing, you and Papyrus were forced to cover your ears… _literally_ , Papyrus covered your ears over your hands since he had no ears of his own to cover.

_‘Dad, Flowey was dying! He deserves-’_

“He deserves to rot! After all he’s done!” Asgore was angry as a bull… _er_ …ram?

_‘You don’t get it! Who Flowey used to be!’_

Great. We have a reincarnating talking, half-dead flower.

As if life couldn’t get any more confusing.

_‘Dad, please!’_

Asgore frowned. Their child sometimes knew more than they said they did. Who was this Flowey? Asgore knew that the flower had tried to kill them all and stop them from reaching the surface. He had hoped that the flower had died not long after the majority of his subjects had left the mountain.

Asgore had no desire to deal with Flowey.

‘ _Please_ …’ Frisk looked up at their father with massive watery eyes. Frisk couldn’t have left Flowey for much longer. They were connected, in some strange way. Frisk really didn’t know how to explain it.

“Sir… _uhh_ …I mean, Asgore.” You nervously interrupted the tense family moment. “Could we have this conversation after we get back to Tori?”

Papyrus nodded, pulling the car back into gear. “My brother is right, your majesty. Toriel must be very anxious to see Frisk! Oh! The great Papyrus had a genius idea! _________, call everyone and tell them of Frisk’s safe return!”

“Good idea, Pap!” You said, searching around for your cellphone, which had fallen onto the passenger side floor. Opening your contacts, your thumb landed on Alphys’ number first.

“I am known for having great ideas, dear human! Sans will be so excited to hear-”

Your hearing slightly faded.

 _Sans_.

Grimacing, you rang Alphys. She answered the call and when you told her that Frisk was alright, she screamed! The small scientist quickly texted Undyne while she verbally relayed the message to someone else with her.

 _“I’m so glad the little darling is alright~!”_ The other voice shouted loud enough for you to hear.

 _“S-sorry. I have M-Mettaton here with m-me.”_ Alphys seemed a bit embarrassed.

Papyrus huffed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. Did he just mutter ‘stupid calculator’?

“It’s alright.” You said, casting a nervous glance at Papyrus. “We’re on our way back to the apartment. Did Sans tell you about Tor- _uhh_ …”

It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to tell Frisk that their mom was turning into dust.

As fast as lightning, Papyrus snatched the phone out of your hand and brought it up to his mouth. “You tell Mettaton that he better not be at the apartment when we get there!”

You could hear Alphys’ nervous chatter. You think she said that she was Mettaton’s ride.

Papyrus’ usually cheery face twisted maliciously. “Tell him to call his _agent_ for a ride.”

And with that, Papyrus hung up and handed you back your phone.

“You alright, Pap?” You asked worriedly, not liking the way his teeth ground together angrily. Your cheery skeletal brother took a deep breath, how without lungs you’ll never know, and exhaled loudly.

“I am _still_ upset with _him_.” Papyrus divulged, taking the turn into the apartment building lot. He parked as close to the entrance as he could and hurried to help Asgore and Frisk out of the backseat. You were worried about confronting Sans; there was no way of acting like you didn’t leave the house.

Grabbing the door handle, you shifted your casted leg and prepared to push yourself up onto your good leg. Without warning, the door opened, and you looked up into the eyes of your skeletal boyfriend.

Grinning sheepishly, you let out a shaky chuckle. “Heh…heh…hey, bone boy.”

“Hey.” Sans grin was tight and didn’t seem to be fitting correctly on his face. “Nice day for a little walk up a mountain, huh?”

“Technically…I _drove_ up the mountain. I just got out and walked a little bit to get to Frisk.” You weakly argued.

Droplets of stress sweat dribbled down Sans’ temples. It was clear that your boyfriend had been worried out of his mind. You felt aggravated; Sans abandoned you for _days_ with no reason as to why, and he’s going to act like nothing was wrong?

“Get inside.” Sans said, jerking the car door open wider. He reached in to grab ahold of you, but you swatted his hand away. Glaring, you were able to shakily get to your own feet and wobble into the apartment building.

Now that the threat of Frisk never returning and Toriel turning to dust was gone; you could go back to your main problem:

_Being pissed as hell at Sans._


	43. Done and Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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Frisk felt their heart stop.

They thought that everything was alright now. No place was safer than their father’s arms, right? Nothing could hurt them when they were buried in their father’s fur.

That was until Asgore brought them into Uncle ________, Uncle Sans, and Uncle Papyrus’ apartment.

Their mother was lying on the couch, her chest softly raising and falling. Little piles of dust littered the ground around her, looking like ant hills. Her usually pristine white fur looked ashen and gray.

Asgore fought to hold back the sob that racked his form. His Toriel…she didn’t deserve any of this. But he couldn’t blame Frisk, the child didn’t know that this would happen. Placing Frisk and that godforsaken flower down, Asgore nudged them to approach their mother.

“Don’t be scared, my child. Your mother needs you.” Asgore soothed the small child.

Bravely, Frisk set Flowey down on the other couch before approaching their mother. Gently, the small child reached out and wrapped their hand around their mother’s. Papyrus, Sans, and you stood awkwardly in the doorway, waiting.

All you could do was wait.

 “Will she…it’s not too late…right?” You asked, looking up at Papyrus. The taller skeleton shrugged, his eyes trained on his queen.

“Give ‘er a minute.” Sans’ voice was rough. “Her soul will acknowledge Frisk’s.”

You ignored Sans in favor of watching the family. Your skeletal boyfriend let out a frustrated huff. You ignored him.

Just as you were beginning to doubt, Toriel’s eyelids began to flutter. Moaning, Tori shifted, her head lolling to the side Her nose twitched as she smelled the air. “My…child.”

Frisk placed their hand in their mothers and slowly signed. ‘ _Mommy’_.

A glowing smile spread across Toriel’s face. Her eyes opened a sliver and at the sight of her child, tears began to drip down her cheeks.

“My Frisk.” Tori’s voice was wispy and weak. “You’re back.”

 _‘Forever, mommy._ _I’m back forever_.’ Frisk signed, tears pooling down their face. All they wanted to do was rescue Flowey. They thought that their mother would be overjoyed to realize that Flowey was really Asriel reformed after his death. That made Flowey their brother, technically.  

“Let’s go home. I’ll call off the other search parties.” Asgore said, lifting up Toriel into his arms. The ex-queen whimpered under her breath and kept her hold on Frisk’s hand. Frisk quickly picked up the withered flower and the family returned to their own apartment across the hall. 

The atmosphere of the entire apartment felt off. There was so much activity before and the sudden lack was shocking. You couldn’t believe that Frisk was safe and back home. Exhaustion was creeping up your spine and you knew you’d sleep well tonight.

“I will…I will make some dinner.” Papyrus shifted awkwardly before going into the kitchen. You limped into the hallway closet and pulled out the vacuum. Was there some sort of ceremonial way to dispose of dust? At this point, you didn’t care. You wanted to vacuum up the physical clues of Toriel’s sickness and go back to normal.

Wheeling the vacuum out into the living room, you began to unwind the cord. You hobbled over to the socket, and was about to plug it in when the chord was roughly yanked from your hand.

“You’re not cleaning now.” Sans interrupted your cleaning, tossing the chord onto the floor.  

“Sans, I just want to clean up Tori’s…I just… _stop_ , okay?” You asked, slowly bending down to pick up the cord. Sans stepped on the cord, his sneaker making it impossible for you to pick it up. “What is your problem?”

Sans’ left eye began to glow an ominous blue. “My problem? You have the problem, babe.”

Setting your shoulders, you stared down your boyfriend. “Oh really? Please, tell me how I’m causing a problem.”

“I told you to stay here.” Sans frowned. “You could have hurt yourself or Tori. What if she needed you? What if Frisk came back and saw how sick she was with no one to explain to them what was happening. I told you to stay here and you didn’t.”

The hairs on the back of your neck stood up in defensiveness. “Well, Tori didn’t need me and Frisk didn’t come back-”

“You’re lucky that nothing happened.” Sans hissed, looking down at your casted leg. “You didn’t even consider the consequences of what you were doing!”

Scoffing, you glared at your boney lover. “The only thing I was considering, _babe_ , was finding Frisk. Because I’m not selfish-”

“_________.” Sans growled.

“And I don’t ignore everyone and lock myself away for days-”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re being an idiot!” Sans’ bones started to grind in their sockets.

“I’m just too stupid for you, right? I’m causing problems, I’m too stupid to take care of myself, I don’t consider the consequences of my actions, and now I don’t know what I’m talking about.” You ranted angrily, unzipping Sans’ spare blue jacket that you had taken when you left the apartment. Throwing the jacket at Sans, the fabric hit his shoulder before flopping to the floor.

Sans was angry, but he could see that you were furious.

He wasn’t sure what set him off. He was doing so well…and then everything went up in smoke. The paranoia and fear came back in spades and Sans felt that everything was falling apart. The last thing Sans wanted to do was show you or Papyrus his weakness. Or lash out. God, he’d never forgive himself if he lashed out at either of you.

Sans locked himself away to try and contain himself. His magic was out of wack, and magic was a dangerous thing when it was uncapped. He hoped that if he locked himself in his room…he could regain some sort of control.

“Just like  when Mettaton broke up with Papyrus; it was my fault, right? My fault because I don’t consider consequences.” You were on a roll and nothing could stop your angry tirade. “ _You’re_ the smart one here and all of us, including me, are just idiots.”

His hands went up to grip the back of his skull. “___________, don’t stand here and pretend you know what the last few days have been like for me.”

“Exactly! I _don’t_! And in there lies the problem! You won’t tell me! You told me if things weren’t getting better, you’d tell me and we’d find someone to help you.” You were on the verge of tears; tears of anger or sadness you weren’t sure.

Frustration shot up in him like a geyser. “Because you’ll worry! And then you’ll hound me until I tell you more than I’m ready to! Worry, worry, worry; that’s all you constantly do! I may have post-traumatic stress or whatever ridiculous names you humans have for this, but at least I know when to back the hell off. I want you to leave _. Me. The. Hell. Alone_. ”

The apartment became quiet.  

“You don’t have to _worry_ about me anymore.”

Sans was shocked out of his anger at the sheer numbness of your tone.

“Because I am _done_ and you’ll get all the alone time you want.” Your voice was ragged and tears began to slide down your cheeks. Spinning on heel, you turned tail and ran to your bedroom. Sans watched in aghast horror as you slammed your bedroom door and locked it.

You never locked doors.

And with that, what little of Sans’ life that hadn’t slipped through his fingers crumbled away to dust.

* * *

 

 

“Human… _huuuuuman_?” Papyrus gently knocked on your bedroom door. _Yours_. No longer shared with Sans. In some kind of sick irony, you had locked yourself in your room and were ignoring everyone.

Everyone except Papyrus, that is.

Your door didn’t open, but your voice came from behind the wood. “What is it, Pap?”

“You have…been in there for quite a while.” Papyrus said, glancing nervously down the hall and into the living room. Sans was sitting on the couch in a horrified stupor. When Papyrus had heard the shouts, he had been too nervous to come out and see what was happening.

Not that he was a coward!

The Great Papyrus was anything but a coward!

When he had come out of the kitchen, Sans was standing alone in the middle of the living room. One of his jackets was tossed onto the floor by his feet. Cautiously, Papyrus had approached his brother.  

“Brother…are you a-alright?” Papyrus laid a gloved hand on his brother’s shoulder. He jerked away in shock; Sans was cold. Icy cold. Was something wrong with Sans’ magic? Papyrus glanced down the hallway and saw that your bedroom lights were on, but your door was closed.

“We broke up, Papyrus.” Sans voice was listless…soulless.

Sans refused to say anything after that. Papyrus had to literally pick him up and set him on the couch before rushing to your door.

“I need…need some time alone, Paps.” Your voice waivered and hiccupped. Papyrus could tell you were crying. Worried about your safety, Papyrus grasped your doorknob and closed his eye sockets. A flash of orange flared in his right eye socket and the knob jiggled violently under his bones.

Your door swung open, much to your surprise. Papyrus slunk into your room, closing the door behind him. Pap smiled sheepishly at you and you quickly tried to wipe away the evidence of your hysterical sobbing. Slowly, Pap came over and took a seat next to you on your bed. You were laying on your stomach, your arms wrapped around a pillow.

Your skeletal pseudo-brother rested his hand on your back. You had to force back a sob, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to for much longer. Everything hurt. Your body physically hurt. It felt like you couldn’t breathe; you couldn’t feel anything but this odd…numb hurt.

 How could you be numb yet hurting at the same time?

“When I broke up with…with Mettaton…” Papyrus’ teeth clacked and ground together. “Every part of me hurt, and I couldn’t believe that someone who seemed to love me so much could be so cruel.”

Unable to hold back any more, you began to sob uncontrollably into your pillow. Papyrus kept rubbing your back in wide, sweeping strokes, so different than San’s small circular rubs.  

“But I know that my brother is not cruel. Maybe I am…biased…but my brother does love you and want the best for you, dearest human. Things will smooth back out, you’ll see! You’ll have to believe THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” Papyrus threw his arms victoriously into the air, but you couldn’t share in his excitement. You continued to sob into your pillow, curling up as small as you could.

Papyrus, sensing your deep hurt. “You…do with things to smooth out with Sans, right? I heard you say you were done, but did you really mean it?”

As your own words spun around in your head, mixed with what Sans had said and what Papyrus was saying now…you couldn’t think straight. You were overwhelmed and the wound was fresh. With another hacking sob, you re-buried your face into the pillow. “He promised…after the first fight…”

“I have been watching a lot of human television, a show called…Days of Our Lives, and it seems like fighting and breaking up and getting back together happens often in human relationships.” Papyrus scratched at his cheekbone in thought. It was uncommon for monsters to separate from their partners. Not rare, but it didn’t happen often in the monster community.

Maybe that’s what made his breakup with Mettaton that much more horrible.

Papyrus shook his head. He couldn’t wallow back into his own gloom! You needed him!

“I don’t know, Paps.” You grumbled, trying to breathe in deeply. You recoiled angrily when you realized that the pillow smelled like Sans. Tossing the pillow across the room, you crossed your arms and buried your face in your arms. “I want to be alone, please.”

Papyrus paused, his hand on your back stilling.

“Please.” You stressed, hunching your shoulders. You didn’t want to hurt Papyrus’ feelings, but you really did need some alone time. As comforting as Papyrus was trying to be, you needed to be alone and finish having your cry.

Anxiously, Papyrus got off of your bed and patted your head gently. “If you need me, come get me, nyeh?”

Quickly, you nodded your head. With your head still buried in your arms, you heard Papyrus leave your room and close the door behind him. He shuffled down the hall, and you could hear his warbled voice speaking in the living room.

Now alone, you released your damns. You sobbed inconsolably into your arms.


	44. Pity and Calling In The Cavalry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
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> How are you all doing? I feel like I haven't gotten any messages from you guys with questions or telling me how you're all doing! D: I hope everyone's doing alright.

Waking up after sobbing hysterically was the worst.

Your head was throbbing and your eyes fought to stay open. Dragging yourself out of bed, you managed to stumble out of your room and into the bathroom. Before you could even consider going to work, you knew you’d need a long shower and something caffeinated to drink.

Stripping out of your clothes, which were still dirty from yesterday, you turned the shower on. You wrapped your casted leg up and then dared to look at yourself in the mirror.

 _Yeah_. You looked like you should be an extra on Walking Dead.

Hair every which way, splotchy discolored skin, and bloodshot eyes. You looked like you’d gone to hell and back. Your body ached horribly, but the worse pain was coming from your chest, right between your pecs.  It felt like a professional wrestler had cold cocked you in the sternum.

Getting in the shower, you began lazily scrubbing at your skin. You tried to ignore the phantom touches and memories that littered this shower. Was that weird? You’d had ex-boyfriends taint things for you before, but they were always things like certain foods, shows, or places…

_But nope._

Sans one-upped them all by tainting the used-to-be calming experience of showering.

Your frustration increased as you finished showering. You dried yourself off with a towel, wrapped yourself in it, and quickly hobbled back to your bedroom. The apartment was quiet, but you weren’t sure what to expect.

 _You_ broke up with _him_.

So then why did _you_ hurt so badly?

Sluggishly pulling on the first decent pair of clothes, you steeled yourself for what waited for you outside your bedroom door. Cringing, you realized that the piles of dust from Toriel were still around the couch. You’d still have to clean up later. You weren’t ready to face Sans; you couldn’t handle seeing him right now.

Maybe not for a while.

Slowly opening the door, you peeked out cautiously. No one. Not even a sound. Without packing yourself a lunch, you hurriedly pulled on your coat and boots. Without so much as a goodbye, you left the apartment and went next door.

Knocking softly at the door, you couldn’t help but nervously shift on your one good foot. What were you supposed to do now? Ignore Sans forever? The thought of never speaking to him again made your chest ache.

The door creaked open.

“Ah! __________!” Asgore seemed happy to see you. His large smile dropped when he took in your state. “A-aoh…c-come in! Toriel is awake and I know she’s been dying to have breakfast with you. It seems I’ve been barging in on your mornings together.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Asgore’s bashful smile.

“It’s okay, you just have to learn to share.” You laughed with the massive king as he ushered you inside the apartment. Frisk was sitting in their mother’s lap at the kitchen table, while Toriel was busy sipping tea. She looked healthy, but haggard and tired, like she had a hard night. “Tori!”

“ _You_! You wonderful, incredible little friend!” Toriel shouted happily, picking Frisk up and rushing to take you into her arms. “I cannot begin to thank you enough for finding Frisk! I knew if anyone could have found them, it would have been you or Asgore!” 

Blushing, you bowed your head bashfully. “I’m glad they’re alright. We know now not to wander, right?” You shot Frisk a playful glare.

Frisk, still clinging to their mother, hid their face in their mother’s fur. They wouldn’t meet your gaze, which was very much unlike them. Frisk was anything but a shy child. Were they upset at you for finding them? Toriel also noticed her child’s reluctance.

“My child, say sorry to __________. You scared him horribly as well.” Toriel’s voice was soft, but stern. Frisk looked at you, but still refused to make eye contact. They stared at your mouth and nervously bit their bottom lip.

 _‘I’m sorry.’_ Frisk signed slowly, their closed fist circling their chest. ‘ _I’m sorry I got you in trouble.’_

Huh?

“Trouble?” You asked, bending down a bit to be on Frisks’ eye level. “You didn’t get me in trouble, big boss.”

Tears came to Frisk’s eyes _. ‘Yes I did! Sans got mad and yelled at you last night! I heard you and Sans!’_

Oh.

“Boss, you did not get me in trouble. I promise.” How well could this kid hear?

‘ _Then why are you and Sans broken up! I made you fight!_ ’ Frisk gave a little hiccupping sob. Toriel hushed her child, looking up at you sadly.

“Sans and I…had a disagreement, but it is not your fault! I promise, Frisk. The one thing that Sans and I are in agreement about right now is that we’re happy you’re back home!” You promised, sticking your pinkie out for the little child. “Pinky promise.”

With a shaky smile, Frisk linked their pinky with yours.

“Woah! That’s a firm pinky shake!” You pulled your pinky away and shook your hand as if Frisk had squeezed too tightly. Frisk snickered, covering their face with their hands and loudly laughing.

Standing behind Frisk, Toriel watched. She could see the lines of exhaustion set deep in your face and the redness of your eyes. She recognized the look of heartbreak; she had looked the same when she and Asgore had split. 

“Do you want to stay for breakfast, ____________.” Toriel said, glancing at the clock that hung in the kitchen. “I’ll make you a doggy bag! You have to be at work soon!”

Nodding, you humbly accepted the doggy bag of corn cakes, jam, and little container of freshly sliced fruit from your neighbor. You snuck out of the apartment building and was able to drive yourself into work.

Walking into work after weeks of sick leave was nothing short of bizarre. Your co-workers were happy to see you; even though they were horrified as you retold your tale to everyone in the break room. People were constantly coming up to the front of the building to check up on you or see if you needed anything.

You drew the line when one of the paralegals asked if you wanted their help walking to the bathroom.

You took your lunch break in an empty office, snuggled up in a dusty old chair. Eating your lunch, which was really the breakfast that Toriel had packed up for you, you were thankful for the silence. Munching on your fruit, you heard the door squeak open.

Spoke too soon.

“_____________?” Miss Deb poked her head into the dim office. “Just checking in on you.”

“Hey, Miss Deb, how’re you doin?” You asked after wiping crumbs off your mouth with the back of your hand. The older woman smiled, fully entering the room and taking a seat beside you.

“I’m alright, sweetheart…I’ve been working on your case for weeks. The police are hot on that horrid woman’s trail.” Deb’s gaze was hardened as she glared out the window.

“It’s funny…after all this time, and I really don’t know her name. We don’t speak of her, kind of avoid mentioning her like the plague.”

It was true. You had seen the landlady in person and in photographs, but no one had ever seemed to utter her name around you. She was always known as _her_ , that witch, or the landlady. She could have been named Gertrude Mertrude for all you knew.

Pursing her lips, Deb sighed and leaned more fully into her chair. “Her name is Amato. Helen Amato.”

It was hard to realize that this person that had done so much evil…was a human. She had a name, a life, maybe even a family or some kids. This horrible creature could have raised a child at some point.

The thought sent shivers down your spine.

Deb watched you with a critical eye. She could tell something was off; she’d known you since you were a tween. You were struggling to keep your face in a neutral mask  She had thought she overheard your voice hitch a bit earlier when you were answering phones.

“The cops will find her when they do. She wouldn’t be fool enough to come after me again. And the last time I talked to the detectives, they said they were following her a few states away. I’m not concerned.”

“Sans and Papyrus are worried about Amato being on the run. I don’t believe they comprehend the sheer distance that’s between you and her.” Deb watched your face as she spoke. When she mentioned Sans, she noticed that your eyes narrowed a bit and your entire expression soured.

 _Bingo_.

Tactfully avoiding the wound she just uncovered, Deb changed the subject to how much she missed you while you were healing. The office had hired an intern to fill in for you in your absents, and Deb retold you all the tales of the unqualified and ditzy fill in.

By the time your lunch hour was done, Deb followed you out of the office and back up to your desk. When you were settled back in your chair with your crutches stashed underneath you, Deb said she’d see you later.

“Oh, _____________.” Deb paused before she fully turned to return to her office. “Whatever happened between you and Mister Snowdin…you can talk to me about anything. Anything that’s said between us stays between us.”

Swallowing nervously, you nodded. Your eyes started to burn, but you fought back tears. You couldn’t cry at work; you needed to be professional. You couldn’t have personal problems effect the way you do your job.

“Thanks, Miss Deb.” You managed to choke out.

Miss Deb pursed her lips in thought and nodded. She went back into her office.

And you were once again left alone at your desk.

* * *

 

 

To say Papyrus was distracted would be an underestimation.

Papyrus woke sometime after you left for work and began making breakfast. When Sans shuffled out of his room, Papyrus could tell that Sans was searching the kitchen for you. Papyrus, still at the stove, began to nervously tap his teeth together.

“He left for work, brother. Before I even woke up.” Papyrus tried to keep his voice neutral. After all, you did go to work early in the morning. It wasn’t as if you were avoiding his brother or anything.

It took every ounce of Papyrus’ greatness not to cry at Sans’ broken expression.

Papyrus went off to work after he slid a plate of eggs and ketchup in front of Sans. He was opening up the shop for Asgore this morning and would be alone until lunch time. Thankfully, the shop was slow, since no one really wanted flowers in the middle of February.

He’d set himself to sending Sans inspirational text messages during the day.  Sans responded every so often, but not with his usual humor.

Papyrus had to take drastic measures.

_‘KNOCK KNOCK!’_

_‘really, pap?’_

_‘KNOCK KNOCK!!!!!’_

_‘who’s there’_

_‘YOU!’_

_‘you who?’_

_‘YOU! THE BEST BROTHER EVER!’_

Papyrus felt his excitement perk. There was no better way to cheer Sans up than with a joke, as much as he disliked to tell them. When Sans did not respond right away, Papyrus was not discouraged. His brother was most likely swimming in the brotherly love vibes that he had sent his way.

 _Right_?

Papyrus was worried about you as well.

About twenty minutes before noon, the bell above the door chimed. Papyrus was watering the violets and needed a minute before he could take his eyes off the delicate blooms.

“Welcome! I’ll be with you in a moment!” Papyrus welcomed the newcomer, secretly hoping it was Asgore. He had some pasta leftovers from Toriel for his lunch that he was craving.  

“Take your time…d-darling.”

Papyrus froze, his grip on the hose nozzle tightening. His increased grip changed the water pressure, causing Pap to almost blast the heads off of a bushel of daisies. Cursing under his breath, Papyrus hung up the watering hose and stormed to the front counter.

Frowning, Papyrus crossed his arms over his apron-covered chest and glared. He couldn’t believe that _he_ had the nuts and bolts to show up at his job. He had to come off as intimidating, that’s all. The great Papyrus couldn’t let that walking toaster know how hurt he was. How many nights he’d spent crying and wondering why.

“H-hello, Pappy.” Papyrus was a sight for Mettaton’s sore optics. Seeing the statuesque skeleton made his soul throb and generators hum.

Slowly raising his brow bone, Papyrus stared down Mettaton. This person wasn’t his Metta, or his Ton-ton. He was Mettaton; the heartless performer who would push anyone out of his life if it meant climbing the celebrity ladder.

“I ah…heard you were working here.” Mettaton said, nervously wringing his hands. This wasn’t like him. Mettaton was anything but nervous…unless he was acting.

“I’ve been working here since before we started…” Papyrus quickly shook himself off. Show no weakness. “You’ve known I work here…unless you didn’t listen to me when I told you. Or cared where I went almost every day. Either is highly probable.”

Mettaton could feel his joints start to strain. He had been trying to make a calm conversation; open up with something neutral. He had underestimated Papyrus’ anger.  

“I ah….I’m sorry, Papyrus.” Mettaton figured he couldn’t go wrong with an apology. Papyrus was certainly owed one. “What I did to you was unspeakable.”

“You are sure speaking a lot about it.” Papyrus grunted, glancing away uneasily.

“What I did to you was horrible. I want nothing more than to make it up to you.”

Papyrus froze.

_Make it up to you._

The phrase rung in Papyrus’ skull. He’d heard that before. He’d heard his brother tell you that after you fought all those months ago. Sans, although Papyrus would always stand behind him, had treated you poorly. In Papyrus’ mind, Sans should never have shouted at you, either time.

Papyrus had heard Sans say that phrase to you…and then treat you badly again.

“Making it up means nothing.” Papyrus hissed, irritation welling up. His magic began to bubble in his bones. 

“It means nothing if you don’t allow me a chance to prove my worth to you. Every day, NAY, every minute without you has broken me. I’m an outdated and obsolete program without you, Pappy.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Papyrus could feel his stubborn facade slipping. He couldn’t be weak. Letting Mettaton back into his life would make him weak. “I’m changing shifts with Asgore soon-”

Mettaton jumped at the chance. “You’re off soon? Let me take you out to lunch!”

Papyrus scowled. “I don’t feel like eating in the back of some dark restaurant.”

The cyborg’s excited smile faded. He hadn’t noticed that Papyrus had realized what he was doing. Mettaton was trying to keep Papyrus under wraps. So many of his fans were single, young humans. If anyone found out he had a partner, his fan base would decrease. Mettaton opted to hide Papyrus so that he wouldn’t decrease his ratings.

Okay…that sounded worse.

Frowning, Mettaton glanced down at his boots in shame. “I-I’ll take you somewhere nice. No hiding. You c-can chose the place, and where we sit, anything, Pappy!”

Mettaton’s determination was beginning to wear down Papyrus’ anger.

No! Papyrus was strong.

“No! I am going to go home.” Papyrus said sternly. At that moment, the bell above the door rung again.

Asgore stood in the doorway awkwardly. He could smell the tension in the air. Would it be unprofessional if he turned tail and ran? The last thing the king wanted to do was get between a lover’s spat.

“Howdy!” Asgore greeted weakly. “You’re free to go, Papyrus.”

Papyrus practically ripped his apron off and hung it on the rack behind the counter. “See you tomorrow, your Majesty.”

Asgore sighed, but smiled softly as he watched the skeleton go into the back of the store. He’d told that boy to call him Asgore hundreds of times. Glancing at Mettaton, Asgore frowned once more. The cyborg looked simply heartbroken.

“I know how you feel, child. To have the one you love distrust you, due to your own thoughtless actions.” Asgore pitied the poor cyborg. He couldn’t recall a more miserable time in his life than when Tori left him and broke their bond. He couldn’t blame her; Toriel was in the right.  

While Asgore kept Mettaton distracted, Papyrus snuck out the back. He tossed the hood of his jacket up and marched quickly down the street. His magic was pounding in his skull. He missed Mettaton so much…but he didn’t deserve to be treated the way he had been before.

Fumbling with his cell phone, Papyrus hit the number two speedial.

_“Heya! Long time no talk, ya handsome sack of bones!”_

Papyrus choked down a sob that he had been holding back since Mettaton walked into the shop. “U-Undyne, I-”

_“I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”_

A wide, watery smile spread across Papyrus’ skull. “Thank you, Undyne.”

The head of the royal guard snickered, and Pap could hear the sound of his friend locking up her house and getting into her car. “ _Don’t sweat it, Pap!”_

Hanging up, Papyrus picked up his pace. He had the best friend.

* * *

 

 

You sat in your car for a few minutes. Could you even muster up the courage to go up to the apartment? What if Sans was there? You couldn’t handle him…you were…scared.

Scared of Sans.

Why? You didn’t know. You know he wasn’t going to ever physically hurt you. Were you afraid of him saying more jerk-ish things to you…or try to make it up to you? You weren’t ready to forgive him.

_Heh…make it up to you._

That didn’t sound familiar _at all._

Steeling yourself, you hobbled into the building and rode the elevator up to your floor. Sans was not going to scare you out of your own damn house. Your heartbreak was quickly melting away and your anger was brewing.

How could he treat you that way?! Sure, you shouldn’t have left Tori alone, but you did it for Frisk. Plus, you were a damned adult. Sans didn’t have any business telling you what to do. Who did he think he was? Your boss?

 _Pshh_.

And after all you’ve done for him, too! You’ve tried and worked your ass off to get him into this safe apartment, to try and get him help for his PTSD, given him space to try and work his problems out himself; and where did it get you?

With a boyfriend that disrespected you and treated you like a kid.

Like a wild buffalo, you marched (well, tried) into the apartment. Papyrus and…was that Undyne, were speaking quietly in the kitchen. Not wanting to interrupt their serious-looking conversation, you whisked away to your bedroom and quietly shut the door.

Grunting, you tossed yourself onto your bed. You needed someone to talk you down. Tori needed her rest, Papyrus would be biased, Undyne was busy, you really didn’t know Alphys that well for an impromptu call…

One person did come to mind…

Biting your lip, you shakily pulled your cellphone out of your pocket and started writing a text.

_‘Hey.’_

_‘Hi.’_ They responded quickly.

 _‘How have you been?’_ You considered sending a smiley…but that might be bad.

 _‘Awful…you?_ _L’_ Okay…so you could only use sad smileys.

_‘Same. :’(‘_

_‘….skype call?’_

_‘I’m logging on now.’_ You texted, pulling your laptop off your desk and onto your bed. You sat cross-legged on your bed and booted up Skype. You made sure your camera and microphone were working before hitting the person’s contact.

The image at first was a little grainy, and it took the microphone a second to start working. The image eventually cleared up, and you found yourself starring into the optics of someone you had once called a close friend…before he treated your pseudo-brother like a five dollar gigolo.

“Hi, darling.” Mettaton’s voice sounded hoarse. “You look wonderful.”

Smiling weakly, you looked down at your lap. “Thanks, Met-”  

“You look wonderful for someone who’s been abducted by aliens and then tossed in an abandoned field.” Mettaton smiled playfully, but the expression was weak and wavering.

“Well, you look great for an outdated calculator strapped to a pair of hooker boots.” You said back lovingly. Fuck, you hated to admit this, but you missed texting and talking to the cyborg.

You found it hard to make long-lasting friends. So when you clicked with someone, like how you clicked with Mettaton, you fought to keep them in your life. Choosing to take a step back from Mettaton after his break up with Pap had been painful, but necessary.

But now seemed like a good time to re-connect.

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Mettaton offered. He was always good at reading you.

Still looking down at your lap, you began to tell Mettaton the entire situation.


	45. Jackets for the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/
> 
> How are you all doing? I feel like I haven't gotten any messages from you guys with questions or telling me how you're all doing! D: I hope everyone's doing alright.

Sans stood awkwardly in the hallway with one of his jackets in his hands.

He could hear your muffled voice through your door, but couldn’t make out what you were saying. It sounded like you were talking to someone. Worry began to well up in his bones. Were you talking to the police, or worse, had the landlady somehow contacted you and was threatening you. Were you talking to a coworker, a friend…possibly a new partner?

The mere thought caused Sans’ bones to quiver.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sans rapped loudly at your door. You told someone to hold on before calling out: “Yeah?”

Sans turned the knob and pushed the door open. You were sitting cross-legged on your bed  in front of your open laptop. You were talking to someone on video chat, but your friend was quiet and the screen was turned away from Sans so he couldn’t see who you were speaking to.

You looked awful, but gorgeous. How did that even work? Your hair was unbrushed and your skin looked discolored. Your bloodshot eyes made contact with his sockets for a second before you quickly looked away.

Wordlessly, Sans held up his spare jacket.

Staring back, your brow rose in question. Sans sighed, his magic pumping a thousand miles an hour. Shit; he’d have to talk. He could barely form words. How do you tell someone who means the world to you that you’re sorry?

“You uh…forgot this. Thought you’d…be cold.” Sans arm was ramrod straight as he continued to hold out the jacket. Were his hands shaking? Fuck, they were.

You didn’t move.

“That’s yours.” You said simply.

Sans didn’t know what to say. He still held the jacket out for you to take.

“That’s yours.” You repeated. “I have my own jacket.” You gestured to a large red hoodie that was thrown on the bed next to you. It was wrinkly, after all, you hadn’t worn it since you started dating Sans and wearing his hoodies.

Rejection hit Sans light a freight train. His arm quickly dropped, the unwanted jacket hanging limply from his phalanges. He knew how much you loved to steal his hoodies; but this one was your favorite. It was fleecy and warm, you wore it to bed almost every night.

There was a long pregnant pause. Neither of you knew where to look. You kept glancing at your laptop screen.

“Is there…anything else?” You asked slowly, keeping your eyes locked on your floor. Sans wasn’t sure what to say. He had so many things to say to you. Did he start with an apology? An explanation? He guessed you got tired of waiting for his response.

“Night.” You dismissed him, turning your attention back to your laptop.

Silently, Sans left your room and closed the door.

Turning back to your video chat with Mettaton, your eyes welled up with bitter tears. “I’m not sure why I was expecting an apology.” You hiccupped.

Mettaton hushed you as you cried. You knew seeing Sans after the fight would be hard; but you didn’t know it would feel like your soul was getting crushed. Why was it so hard for him to say sorry?

“Give it time, darling. Time heals all wounds.” Mettaton had soothed you.

You and Mettaton talked through the night and well into the early morning. By the time you logged off of skype, the sky was beginning to lighten up. You didn’t have work, so you decided to catch some sleep before the bright morning sun came up.

You tossed.

You turned.

By the time seven in the morning rolled around, you hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Frustrated with your body’s unwillingness to work with you, you tugged on your red hoodie and got onto the floor. You kept a little box of nail polish under your bed; maybe painting your toes would make you feel a bit better. While gender norms said that it was odd for boys to paint their toes, you rather enjoyed the practice. Seeing your toes flash with color was always pleasing to your eyes. 

Picking out the color you wanted, you shook and rolled the bottle between your hands to prepare the paint. Stretching your legs out, you started on painting the toes of your unbroken foot.

 _Damn_ , if you were ever fired, you could paint toes as a second job.

Now, for the difficult foot.

Bending your knee and bringing it to your chest, you struggled to get the right angle. Your toes poked out of your cast, but the bulky covering made it hard for you to properly angle the brush the way you were used to. Wriggling your toes, you sighed in exasperation at the amount of paint was getting on the skin surrounding your toenails. Sure, it would come off in the shower, but it was annoying and looked sloppy.

“Need help?”

Your surprised jolt caused you to swipe the brush across the skin of your toes. Looking at your doorway, you realized that Sans was the intruder. He stood awkwardly, his hands shoved deeply into his pockets.

Wait…what did he say?

“No.” You kept your tone cold and clipped. “I’m fine.”

That’s right _________, turn your attention back to your painting. Don’t say anything mean or spiteful…that would only make the situation worse. Much to your frustration, Sans came further into your room and sat on the carpet beside you.

Goddamnit, all you wanted to do was paint your toes.

“Gimmie.” Sans said softly, prying the polish top out of your hand. Dipping the brush back into the bottle, Sans began to cautiously paint your toes. Huh…he was actually pretty good, for someone who didn’t have nails. “Trying to _polish_ up our relationship.”

 _Aaaaaand_ he ruined it with a pun.

Tugging your foot away as soon as your final toe was painted, you looked up at Sans. He capped the polish and nervously began to roll the bottle between his hands. The clinking of the glass against bone filled the room, the noise adding something extra awkward to the situation.

“I called someone today…” Sans stopped making whatever that noise was. He was looking at the nail polish bottle intensely; like he was trying to crack the thick glass with his mind.

“I _answered_ a lot of calls yesterday.” Didn’t you just say you weren’t going to be snarky?

Sans dropped the bottle of polish, and it made a dull thunk as it landed on the carpet. “I mean…an old friend of Undyne’s is a therapist now…since the royal guard was disbanded. I…have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow to work on all this.” Sans pointed to himself and made a circular motion with his hand.

You couldn’t lie to yourself; this was good. If Sans couldn’t tell you his problems, maybe he would tell a professional. You were happy that he was getting help…even if it took him losing you to actually reach out. You knew it wasn’t fair…but sometimes it felt like Sans depression was stronger than the feelings he had for you.

After all, he chose to cling to his negative feelings instead of sharing with you. You were still angry with him. Horribly, painfully angry at him.

“Good.” Picking up the bottle of polish, you placed it back into the box and slid it under the bed once more. “They’ll be able to help you.”

“You help me a lot, ya’ know.” Sans began picking at the fibers of the carpet, like how someone would pluck nervously at grass. “You’re the best thing to happen to me up here.”

What were you supposed to say? Should you get angry and tell him to leave, or comfort him? If you comforted him, would he think that he was forgiven. You weren’t about to go back to him and act like everything was fine and dandy. You were angry and you were hurt; and damned the world if you were going to pretend like everything was okay.

“Well, now this person can help you.” You brushed him off. “I…see you later, Sans.”  

You pushed yourself to your feet and wet-toe waddled out of your room, not wanting to wait for a response. Sighing, you pressed the heels of your palms into your close eyes.

Shit, that did not go how you wanted. You didn’t even want to see Sans!

“Human!” Papyrus’ loud voice jolted you from your internal screaming. “There is supposed to be a huge storm in a few days!”

You were so frustrated, you hadn’t even noticed Papyrus sitting mere feet from you. Papyrus was sitting on the living room couch, alternating between watching the weather channel and going over a scattered pile of road maps. The weather channel was reporting about a serious thunderstorm and the possibility of a small tornado out in the country a few hours outside of the city. Hopefully, the city would only be hit by the thunderstorm.

“That sounds wicked, Pap.” You said, intent on making yourself something hot to drink. Maybe you could go outside to walk a bit and clear your mind. Yeah, that might be good. Get away from Sans and give yourself time to think.  

“It is!! It is also extra wicked because you  and I are going to go see it!”

… _What_?  
  
“YES! I’ve been watching my new favorite program, _Storm Chasers_ , and the main scientist said that the best cure for heartbreak is a good chase!”

_Oh no…_

“So we’re going to go chase this storm!”  Papyrus threw his arms above his head and cheered. He kept shouting about the upcoming storm, and how he had rented a motel room out in the country for the two of you to ‘get away from heartbreak city’.

Maybe you’d get struck by lightning and you wouldn’t have to deal with any more bullshit.


	46. Begin The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've made a paypal! If you wanna donate to this story and to my chocolate and popcorn addiction, click here:
> 
> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

When you woke up today, you never imagined that you’d be in Toriel’s kitchen, waiting for her to heal your leg so you can get into the car with your pseudo-brother skeleton and drive a few hours out into the country, get into your shoddy shared motel room, and chase a damn hurricane!

 

Did your life suck or rock?

Sneaking out had been easy; after all, you didn’t need to tell Sans anything anymore and Papyrus was an adult. Still, the two of you were very quiet as you packed your bags and went across the hall to the Dreemurrs. Toriel had been reading up on her healing magic, and had promised to give you a little pep-up before your drive.

“Don’t be scared, ____________, dear.” Toriel had said to you when she opened her front door. She helped you down onto a kitchen chair and propped your casted leg up onto her knee.

“So how does this work, exactly?” You asked nervously. Tori hummed in thought, her hands beginning to glow a soothing lavender. She placed her warm paws over your cast and closed her eyes. Was her magic going to pierce your skin like needles or something painful? You glanced nervously at Papyrus, who was waiting eagerly in the doorway to get a start on the long drive.

“Think of this magic as a balm, it will seep into your skin down into your body and heal the partially mended bone.” Tori’s voice was soothing, as was the heat that was emanating from her paws. “I would have done this earlier, but… _situations_ would not allow-”

“Don’t worry about it, Tori.” You soothed the sheepish mother. “Shit happens.”

Toriel huffed, her claws tapping against your cast. “Since Frisk is not in here, I will allow that statement.”

“Where are they?” You asked, taking a deep breath as a deep burning tingle settled into your muscles. Tori shot you a sympathizing glance before concentrating on her magic once more.

“Asgore took them to pick out a new rubber duck. They have quite a collection of those cute little bath toys now. Asgore gives them one if they earn a good grade on a test or try a new food.” Toriel couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. She loved her sweet little family. “They also went out to get some medicine.”

Glancing up worriedly, you became confused. Who was sick? Sighing, Toriel pulled away from your leg and raised a single filed-clawed finger. Her claw traced down from the top of your cast to the bottom. With a soft word muttered under her breath, your cast cracked down where her finger just ran. The hardened cast fell to the kitchen floor with a _thunk_.

 _Ho-lee shit_.

“Hold it still for a moment, but you’ll be right as rain in a shake of a _lamb’s_ tail.” Toriel’s chiming laughter seemed a bit forced. She stood from her seat and shuffled into the hall leading to the bedrooms.

“Human, I am going to go start your car and prepare our traveling CD’s in musically appropriate order.” Papyrus had been nervously fidgeting ever since you had entered Toriel’s home. You waved him off, and he hurriedly raced down the stairs to the parking lot.

Toriel returned to the kitchen, carrying a large plastic storage tub in her arms. Little specks of dirt clung to the corners of the tub. Toriel was frowning forlornly into the tub, a worried glimmer in her dark eyes. She gently placed the tub onto the table, and you were shocked when you heard a pained groan.

Inside the tub, was that flower.

The flower was wilted, it’s stem floppy and brown. This caused the flower to have to lay flat on the ground, some of their roots sticking up out of the dirt. You cringed; you knew that roots were usually white, but the flower’s roots were a sickly and diseased green. The flower seemed to be unconscious.

“It’s hard to explain, but this is Flowey.” Toriel reached forward and gently ran her finger one of the flower’s tattered petals. “Long story short…this flower holds the remnants of my eldest son’s soul.”

Your eyebrows shot up so high in surprise they could have hit the ceiling.

“So he’s your son?” You asked incredulously. Was that really so odd in the grand scheme of things; a goat queen having a flower as her eldest son? “What’s wrong with him?”

Toriel sighed, gripping the edge of the storage bin. “We are not sure. It could possibly be the change from underground to above…many monsters were incredibly ill for the first few weeks. It could also be a reaction to an illness…or too much water. It is hard to treat him.”

The dirt in the storage bin looked over watered, little green splotches littered the dirt. The poor thing looked like it was suffering horribly. “I’m not sure I believe Frisk…that this could be my Asriel.”

You recalled Tori speaking of her previously-dead eldest son. She even had a picture or two of him; he had been a cute little goat monster, just like his parents. He had his mother’s dark eyes, but his father’s nose. “Does he act like Asriel?”

Toriel laughed, but it was dry and lacking her usual emotion. “ _No_. My Asriel was kind and sweet…Flowey is pessimistic and rude. And yet…sometimes…I hear a phrase, or a tone and my soul _sings_. It could just be an old mother hoping against hope…but I am not sure.”

Gripping Toriel’s hand, you squeezed. “Time will tell, right? People change, and maybe Asriel became the way he is now for a good reason. I hope he really is Asriel.”

Toriel smiled, squeezing your hand back fondly. “Time shall tell, I suppose. Now! Your leg will be a little weak, but you can walk on it now! Papyrus is probably chomping at the bit to get a- _hail_ -ed of the storm.”

Groaning, you couldn’t help but laugh, but that short moment of joy was quickly smothered with pain. You should be in bed with Sans, listening to him tell shitty puns and laughing. No… _no_ , you couldn’t start thinking like this so early in the day. Those horrible thoughts are usually reserved for three in the morning when you can’t control where your mind wanders off to.

“You’re right, my fair lady! Can’t leave Pap bored for too long, we don’t want the entire building to collapse.” You said, carefully standing on your two feet. Your leg was a little shaky, but healed. Taking a few cautious steps fueled your confidence.

“Thanks so much, Tori! This is great!” You said, running your hand along your healed leg. The skin was a little discolored, but it felt so much better. Just as you were about to leave, Tori stopped you with a quick bleat.

“Frisk, Asgore, and I have a council meeting with a few world leaders. I need some assistance about different human cultural customs, and I don’t mean to trouble you-”

“You don’t even need to ask! C’mon over whenever and we’ll go over some human stuff, alright?” You said, turning the knob on the door, eager to get down to the parking lot.

Tori absolutely beamed. “Thank you so much, _____________! Be careful on your trip, and  I hope my magic will give you a _leg up_ in life!” Tori cackled wildly, but you couldn’t help the burn of tears that welled up in your eyes. God, he even ruined puns for you, too. You left the apartment with a weak goodbye and made your way slowly down the hallway.

* * *

 

 

Sans was curled up in his bed, hidden beneath the balled up sheets and blankets. He was tired; physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every bone in his body ached, and no matter how many times he showered, his body felt chalky and disgusting.

Then again, he spent the majority of his shower with his head down, trying to ignore the memories of you and him.  

After the jacket incident, Sans found it impossible to face you. He’d hear you coming down the hall into the living room or kitchen, and he’d quickly open a doorway to get away. When you’d come home, he’d lock himself away in his room. He didn’t deserve to come out; he’d hurt you- _again_.

He didn’t want to go to therapy. He really didn’t. There was no such thing Underground. You were either fine, or had to put on a fake smile and pretend you were fine. There just wasn’t enough educational tools or information for a monster to become a valid counselor.

The negative emotions that you usually kept at bay began to eat away at him. In a moment of lucid thought, Sans googled ‘local therapy monster friendly’ and found a perfect fit.

Waiting for the first initial visit was the worst.

The first day Sans shuffled into the renovated abandoned church, he was nervous beyond belief. A monster-based counseling unit had come together, and the only building they could find was the old church. It was clean, but the old stained glass windows of the waiting room were a little daunting and reminded him of the old royal judgment hall.

Think good thoughts for five minutes. Sluggishly crawling onto the waiting room couch, Sans waited. His feet began twitching first, then his leg began to bounce, and before he knew it, his entire body was twitching nervously.

One of the office doors, the one labeled RG 01, swung open.

“Sans?”

Sans nervously slid off of the used couch. “Heya.”

“Come on in.” The massive rabbit smiled soothingly at Sans, ushering him into the office. With the door closed behind them, Sans stiffly took a seat on the newer couch. The office was nice enough, rather plain beige walls and a few paintings of trees placed artfully.

“Guard One, this is a nice place ya’ got.” Sans nervously tugged at the knees of his sweatpants. The large ex-royal guard chuckled as he took a sit on the couch across from Sans.

“We’re working with the best we have. You can call me Rodger, if you’d like.” Sans nodded, not wanting to admit that he hadn’t known the rabbit by any other name than Guard or Guard one. “So, let’s get into the thick of it. What brings you in?”

The next hour was extremely awkward for Sans, but Rodger was very sensitive and attentive to him. Sans roughly outlined his problems, even including a vague description of re-living the timelines. He was surprised when Rodger didn’t try to stick him in a strait-jacket. The massive rabbit sat quietly, only adding in a few words every so often.

“It sounds like you have a serious case of PTSD and a massive dose of generalized anxiety.” Rodger said softly, watching as Sans slouched at the news. It wasn’t like he didn’t already know this, but hearing the words seemed to…finalize it.

“Guess so.” Sans shrugged thoughtlessly. “But…what I need the most help with is ____________. We broke up ‘cause of…all this. That’s my main priority right now.”

Rodger looked at Sans curiously. “Shouldn’t your main priority be yourself and your mental health?”

Stumped, Sans was unsure of what to say. When Rodger repeated his words back to him, he felt a little silly. “I want him back and I can show him that I’m not…bad.”

“You’re not bad, Sans.” Rodger’s voice was soothing.

 _Soothing_.

Frowning, Sans looked down at his hands.

You were soothing to him. Without you, how was he supposed to come down from a panic attack? He’d forgotten how to handle them alone. You made his mind calm down, made all the chaos in his skull slow into sweet, hallowed peace. The pounding in his phantom stomach would cease, and the magic in his bones would stop sizzling.

“He’s my human tranquilizer.” Sans’ voice was quiet, almost too quiet for his own ears (not that he had them) to hear.

Rodger frowned, but nodded in understanding. “Other people are important in our healing and our lives. I want to work on your coping techniques and your HP levels the next time we meet. That is…if you’d like to meet again.”

Sans was on the fence about this whole psycho-babble crap, but he couldn’t deny that his chest felt a little bit lighter. His ribs were a little bit loosened and he found it easier to breath.

Maybe this therapy stuff wasn’t a crock of shit.

“I’m free Tuesdays.” Sans said coldly, not wanting to appear too needy. Rodger smiled, taking out his smartphone and logging in the appointment in his calendar. He writes down the date and time on an appointment card and hands it to Sans.

“See you next week.” Rodger smiles. “It was nice seeing you up here.”

Sans smiled and nodded.

* * *

 

 

You had driven out of the city, with Papyrus in the passenger seat blasting some tunes and screaming lyrics out of the window. He was so pumped to see the upcoming storm. It was a little scary to see the sky darkening as you drove further away from home.

What in the name of Hell were you doing?

“The weatherman said that this storm was a small category one hurricane!” Papyrus said, turning down the music. You were sure your eardrums had already blown out, but you appreciated the lower volume.

“Any kind of hurricane sounds like a bad hurricane.” You said, glancing at the GPS app on your phone. You were about ten minutes away from the motel you booked. “Category one still sounds terrifying.”

Papyrus snorted, as if he were talking to someone who knew absolutely nothing. “Category one is the smallest hurricane! They cause minimal damage and the wind doesn’t go over one-hundred miles per the hour!”

Taking the correct exit on the highway, you hummed thoughtfully. “You know a lot about hurricanes, Paps.”

Blushing, Papyrus shrugged and looked down at his lap. “Ever since the thunderstorm, remember the bad one?” You nodded. “I’ve been…researching weather since then.”

“That’s pretty cool, Paps!” You smiled, pulling into the motel parking lot. Papyrus seemed to brighten up after you expressed interest. Was he worried that you’d make fun of him?

You both exited the car and went into the motel to pick up your room keys; all the while Papyrus was talking about how much he loved weather. He’d been watching the weather channel, along with every documentary that he could get his mitts on.

“It used to snow Underground, but not much else. The snow up here is so different! Thicker, and whiter and colder, too. I’ve never seen a hurricane before, either!” Papyrus chattered happily, shoving the key card into the motel room and shouldering the door open.

The motel room was typical; two small beds and one large window right beside the door. The first thing that Papyrus did was pull the blinds aside and begin to set up his belongings in the bed closest to the window.

“Neither have I, bro.” You said, plopping down on the spare bed to stretch out your leg. You didn’t want to push yourself and re-break your leg. “I’ve seen horror movies like Twister, but nothing in real life.”

Papyrus was now submerged in his own little world, pouring over textbooks and weather maps that he had packed along with him. You closed your eyes and just breathed.

Just keep breathing, and eventually everything would be okay.

 _Right_?

Letting out a frustrated breath, you brought your hands to your face and dug the heels of your palms into your closed eyes. Jesus, when did your head start throbbing? Why was everything fucked to high hell?

“Pretending everything’s fine and dandy won’t work.” Papyrus sing-songed out of the blue, his attention seemingly still on a map of the area. He looked out the window, his eye sockets narrowing in thought at the approaching dark clouds.

“What?” You asked crabbily, pouting at your skeletal brother. Papyrus kept his gaze on the window, as if waiting for the storm to appear in a blink of an eye socket.

“Tried that: act all cheery and hope everything…falls back into place. It doesn’t.” Papyrus seemed more mature and hardened than you’d ever seen him be. He put the maps down onto the bed, and glanced your way.  

“I’m trying to…” You trailed off, unsure. What the hell were you even trying to do? Fake it? Act like you didn’t feel like a numb, heartless, bastard?

“Trying to make it through the day.” Papyrus supplied helpfully with an understanding smile.

“Trying to find the silver lining, I guess. Something to push for.” You shrugged.

Pap’s smiled. “The silver lining to the storm?”

You smiled, and you felt your headache slowly begin to fade.


	47. April Fools Ain't Worth It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

A few hours passed in relative silence. Papyrus was buried ulna-deep in storm data and you had been dozing in and out. The storm would be here in a matter of hours, and you might as well be caught up on your beauty sleep before you’re swept off like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Around two in the afternoon, the darkened sky began to swirl.

Papyrus shook you awake, an ecstatic grin on his skull. Were those magical little orange sparkles in his eyes? Damn, he was freaking adorable. 

“The storm is starting! Come on! Sit on my bed! We can watch through the window!” Papyrus began jumping back and forth between the beds, whooping excitedly. Drowsily, you scrubbed at your eyes with your knuckles and shuffled tiredly into the bathroom.

Checking your cellphone while you peed (c’mon, don’t lie, everyone does it) you noticed a few messages.

 _‘Where are you? Are you and Pap coming back for lunch?_ ’ Sans had texted you a few hours earlier.

You could ignore him.

After washing your hands, you picked your cell phone back up. ‘No. We’ll be back later tonight.’

There. Simple and straight to the point.

Back in the main room, Papyrus was sitting on his bed, staring longingly out the window. The wind had picked up and the trees outside were beginning to sway and bend. Loose debris, like paper bags and other random litter was being blown down the street.

“I’ve been watching this show called Storm Chasers, and now that’s my dream! TO BE THE BEST STORM CHASER!” Papyrus cheered, his eye sockets unwavering from the window.

The sheer confidence in his voice made you smile. “I thought you wanted to be a florist like Asgore.”

“Plans change!” Papyrus said, shrugging his shoulders. “I want a…something different! Adventure, days full of it!”

Taking a seat next to your skeletal brother, your knee bonked against his. “You’re really brave, Paps. Not a lot of people have the nads to go out there and get adventure.”

“Not a lot of people are as GREAT as I, dear ____________!” Papyrus flexed haughtily. When he was about to say something else, a large branch of a tree went crashing to the ground outside. The bang was so loud that it caused you both to twitch.

“Woah.” You peered out the window, nervously watching the wind distort the world beneath its power. “Maybe we should get away from the window.” You pulled out your cellphone and started googling ‘what to do during a hurricane’.

Papyrus snorted, refreshing his phone to see the wind speed that the local weather station was calculating. “We’ll be fine! The storm will blow right past us!”

“Or blow us over.” You muttered, but tried to calm yourself down. C’mon, you had to support Papyrus’ new fixation. Just like the time when he wanted to try to cook pasta in the slow cooker. Sure, he almost blew the kitchen sky high, but he had heart while doing it!

The two of you sat there in silence, watching the category-one hurricane blow through the countryside. At one point, the glass of the window began to shake. You gasped, pulling Papyrus back further onto the bed when a large spider-web crack spread across the glass.

“We have to get away from the window before we get shard bombed.” You convinced Pap to go sit on the other bed. He wasn’t happy about the ‘less visually pleasing spot’, but agreed it was safer. Nothing else happened, unless you count the lights flickering for a moment, but the storm did not cause any more damage to the room.

After two hours of storm watching, the wind began to slow. Papyrus double checked the local weather channel’s website before opening the locked motel door. “Let’s see the damage for ourselves! The storm is over!”

Cautiously, you followed Papyrus out of the motel room. The parking lot was littered with debris and broken tree limbs. Thankfully, your car was damage-free, but a few small branches had found their way atop your vehicle.

“THAT WAS WILD!” Papyrus screamed, jumping up and down.

Ohkay.. _phew_. We didn’t die. Go ahead and let out that breath that you’d been holding in since the storm started. You didn’t want to admit to Pap, but when you saw the heart of the storm, you were sure the wind was going to break the window.

Papyrus was now running around the parking lot, taking pictures of the area with his cell phone. You followed close behind, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the appropriate moments. Papyrus had found a car in the parking lot that had a large branch piercing the back passenger window.

“Wowie!” Papyrus shouted, circling the victimized car in awe. “Look at nature’s strength, ___________!”

“I wouldn’t want to be around for a higher category storm.” You said, careful of the broken glass that littered the asphalt. The last thing you needed was to fall and get stuck with glass. You were done with hospitals for the foreseeable future.

“How remarkable! The sheer strength of the nature! The energy that is unparalleled compared to human or monster!” Papyrus was slowly spinning in a circle, taking in all the damage from the storm. How did he think this was beautiful; the parking lot looked like a dump.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you suppose.

“I think it’s time for us to go, Pap. Storms over.” You said. Could you even drive home? What if the roads were blocked? Ugh…you could go on your phone and check the local news to see if the roads were clear.

…or you could wing it.

You were a fan of winging it.

Papyrus beamed at the idea of leaving the motel. “We can see how other places were affected!” He cheered before rushing into the room to grab his bags. All you had brought with you was already in your bag that was swung over your shoulder.

“What the hell am I doing?” You whispered to yourself, plopping down on the curb. You looked up at the gray sky, that was slowly clearing up to show a pristine blue sky. Taking a deep breath of air, you counted to five and slowly exhaled.

Your cellphone vibrated in your pocket.

‘Where are you?’

Sans had sent you another message. You had considered ignoring him earlier out of spite, but should you? Sure, he was your ex, but you still lived together and you were hanging out with his beloved brother.

Before you could think too much about it, your fingers quickly tapped across your screen. ‘Yeah, we’ll be back in a few hours.’

Shoving your phone back into your bag, you hung your head. You wanted so badly to go home and…what? Fix things with Sans? Or at least smooth things out.

 Would Sans even listen to you?

You took another grounding breath. As time passed, your anger didn’t diminish…but your guilt grew. Sans has PTSD and that comes with highs and lows…you should have been checking in on him more. You should have taken better care of him. You shouldn’t have blown up at him; he was clearly in a rut.

Should have, should have, should have…

Papyrus scampering out of the motel room, key returned to the front desk, jolted you out of your mental hole. Forcing a smile, you stood up and dusted off your bottom. Swiping some stray branches off your car, the two of you climbed in and began to trek back into the city.

Papyrus was quiet, eye sockets darting every which way. He would gasp at a blown over tree or a damaged house. Every so often, he’d roll down the window and take a picture of some damage. The radio was playing softly, filling in the empty air.

It was rare that you and Papyrus weren’t talking; but when you didn’t, the silence was comfortable. The current song slowly faded out and the radio host queued up the next song. The first few notes made Papyrus tense up.

Groaning, Pap limply threw himself back against the seat, his skull smacking against the headrest. You were about to ask what was wrong when the song was finally accompanied by the musician’s voice.

Mettaton.

Huh…you forgot that he was a musician…along with a dancer, actor, chef, ice skater,….

“Stupid sex toaster.” Papyrus hissed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Frowning, you reached out to change the channel. “No!”

Drawing your hand away, you looked to Papyrus from the corner of your eye. Pap looked conflicted; unsure if he wanted you to change the station or not. “You…want to listen to him?”

Papyrus’ teeth clicked together. “No…but…I really like this song.”

Your skeletal-brother fiddled with his gloved hands, glancing nervously out his window. When Mettaton first released this song, Papyrus would listen to it on repeat. He’d bounce all around the apartment, swinging his hips to it while he prepped himself for another date with his cyborg.

You hadn’t heard this song since the breakup. All traces of Mettaton had been stripped from the apartment. None of his TV shows, or movies, no magazines, no songs.

Was Pap having a change of heart?

“He…he apologized to me.” Papyrus’ voice was quiet; almost drown out by the music and the wind rushing through the window. “Sort of, he tried to at least. I walked away before he could. I told Undyne, and she said…that I had to make the decision to give him another chance or not.”

Papyrus took a shaky breath. “Undyne said…that if Alphys had messed up or lied to her again, she’d be upset, but she’d forgive her. Because Alphys was worth it…and I-I don’t know if Mettaton is worth it.”

This was clearly bothering Papyrus. He had gone back to his peppy self a few weeks after the breakup, but there was now this…shadow that was in his eye sockets. Sans and you could see it; how much he still missed Mettaton.

And you knew that Mettaton was very sorry. The two of you had began talking regularly once more, and Mettaton was showing you a new side of him. Even when you considered him a good friend, you thought that the robot was egotistical, and kind of a shoddy friend.  When you video-called the star, a new gleam of humility was in his optics. He sat differently, and his nose wasn’t as stuck up in the sky as it once had been.

You, as Mettaton’s friend, believed he had changed, but as Papyrus’ pseudo-brother…you were still a little wary of your brother giving the cyborg another chance.

You found yourself saying the phrase that had been getting you through the last few days.

“Time will tell, Paps. Give yourself time.” You took one hand off the steering wheel and patted Pap on his neon orange cargo short covered kneecap.

The car was quiet as the songs changed over. The sky began to clear, and the sun slowly came out. Papyrus’ was looking out the window at the passing scenery, but his mind was somewhere far away. You paid attention to the road, eyes flickering between the traffic and your passenger.

As the large skyscrapers of your city came into view, Papyrus broke his silence. “Do you think Sans is worth it?”

How the hell were you supposed to answer that?

Of course he was worth it.

But heaven forbid your pride allow you to admit that.

Sans was most likely the best person you’ve ever met. He was smart, funny, protective, sweet, caring, responsible, and he wasn’t afraid to call you out on your bullshit. He was trustworthy and only wanted the best for his brother.

If anyone was worth forgiveness, it would be Sans.

“I don’t think I’m worth it.” You whispered, biting down nervously on your bottom lip.

You shouldn’t have yelled at him; you were angry and stressed out by the situation. True, Sans should have reached out to you about his problems, but you knew he was struggling before you were partners. You should not have been blindsided by his hermit-like defense response.

Apologizing sounded like a damn good plan…but did you deserve his forgiveness?

* * *

 

 

It had been a week.

To Sans, it might as well have been a lifetime.

Both you and his brother had been quiet about where you had gone last week. Papyrus had told him ‘a friendly weather-watching sibling outing’. Sans’ snorted at that.

What was worse was the fact that you haven’t spoken more than a handful of words to him. He had noticed the  guilty glances you had sent his way. It looked like you wanted to talk to him, but something stopped you. Did you think he hated you? He could never.

Sans would keep the door of his bedroom open a crack, and he would watch. You would quietly enter the apartment, and either go straight to your bedroom or bathroom. Very rarely would you be out in the kitchen, and your presence was now never found in the living room.

You were avoiding him.

The realization that you were avoiding him made his soul throb. You were supposed to be his; not hiding from him. Sans wanted to be back with you, where he was supposed to be. His soul belonged to you, and without you in his life, Sans’ determination had begun decreasing.

That is, until he had his second meeting with Rodger.

“And why do you believe you and _________ broke up?” Rodger asked about twenty minutes into the session, his leg crossed over the other and a pad of paper balanced on his knee.

Sans’ phalanges twisted nervously into the fabric of his running shorts. “I was having a bad week, and I had been trying to ride it out by…locking myself away. I wanted to deal with it myself, but I guess it backfired. ___________ thinks I was ignoring him and…I wasn’t telling him when I was having trouble.”

Rodger nodded, one of his massive ears flopping over his shoulder. “Do you feel  uncomfortable telling others when you need help?”

A sense of unease boiled up in Sans’ bones. “I don’t like it when other people worry. Worrying doesn’t get you anywhere.”

“It’s easier not to worry, right?. To just give up.” Rodger’s words shocked Sans. “That’s how it feels sometimes, but that’s not true.”

Sans looked up at Rodger, his eye sockets meeting the rabbit’s warm brown orbs.

“Shutting yourself in is the same as cutting others off…even though we never have that intention.” Rodger said, earning a quick nod from the skeleton.

“I never meant to hurt __________.” Sans phalanges were quaking in their sockets. “He and Paps are _everything_ to me. I never meant to hurt them! I hid my bad days to try _not_ to hurt them.  I never meant to make him feel stupid, or useless, or…then again…”

Rodger’s ear’s perked up, a clear indication that he was eagerly waiting for Sans’ to finish his thought.

“I haven’t…made an attempt recently to let him know that…how much I love him. I told him I loved him and I used to do small things, but I never came out and told him how much I loved him. How smart I know he is, and how much I appreciate him. I tried to show it to him…physically, but I…looking back, I realize that he deserved more than that.” Sans sighed, his soul pulsating in his chest. “I miss him, my soul misses him. ___________ was…he was my grounding. He’s the person that brought me back to reality and calmed me down…”

Rodger grabbed the tissue box and held it out to the skeleton. Confused, Sans grabbed a tissue and brushed it against his eye sockets. Wow…he was crying and didn’t even realize. He’d been feeling so numb for so long.

“It’s not too late.” Rodger said after Sans took a silent moment to settle his nerves. The skeleton looked up at the massive rabbit, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“____________ would never listen to me. Not after our fight.” Sans began to tear apart his tissue.

“You’ll never know until you try, Sans. If _____________ is half the person you say he is, he will listen to you. Tell him the truth; tell him that you didn’t mean to hurt him and explain your actions. Then apologize for them. Remember; even though you didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, that’s what you did. But you have to try. Is he worth trying for?”

“Yes!” Sans’ spine straightened as he thought about confronting you. “He’s worth it! I’ll try anything!”

Sans wanted you back and he wanted it all! He wanted to be with you, to go on dates and mess around  with you like two annoying pun-loving kids again. He wanted to buy a house for his family, and to have you and Papyrus be happy. He wanted you waiting up for him when he got home from work, and he wanted to be the one to wake up early and make you lunch for work.

He wanted all that white-picket fence, Americana dream that humans talked about.

Rodger smiled, scribbling down something onto his pad of paper. “I think it will be beneficial for you. Your soul is already _happy_ at the idea of fixing things with _____________”

Confused, Sans cocked his skull. Rodger smiled and nodded down at his chest. “Check your soul.”

Curiously, Sans closed his eye sockets and focused on the magic thrum of his soul. What had Rodger noticed that he didn’t? His soul was the same. The same color, in the same shape, same-

Sans’ sockets jerked open in shock. In awe, Sans looked to Rodger, who was smiling widely down at his client.

Sans’ HP had risen to 2.


	48. Miracle In Resin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://www.paypal.me/katemchughgorman
> 
> http://kaytemchugh.tumblr.com/

Work was done for the day, and so were you!

It was just one of those days where everything went badly. Clients were late for their appointments, your co-workers were acting like chickens with their heads cut off, and the office manager that made the paychecks messed up yours for the week.

Sometimes, you felt like quitting on the spot.

Too bad living cost money.

Exhausted, you trudged into the apartment.

Papyrus had texted you earlier that he’d be home late. He was helping Asgore with the _‘extremely difficult and tedious task’_ of hiring another worker at the flower shop. You entertained the thought of applying for the job, but you doubted you would like working with flowers; allergies and all.

Heating up the kettle on the stove, you slumped onto one of the bar stools. It didn’t seem that Sans was in the apartment either. Where was he? Not like that was your business or anything.

Things had been so painfully awkward.

Maybe it would be best to apologize and get it over with.

…Or that idea could crash and burn.

Knowing your luck, it would probably burn.

The whistle of the kettle jolted you from your thoughts. As you poured hot water into your tea mug, someone knocked once on your front door before letting themselves in. That could only mean one thing; your neighbor was letting themselves in.

“Hey!” You called from the kitchen, too tired to lean over to see which of your neighbors had come in.

“Hello, dear _________!” Tori came into the kitchen, clutching Frisk’s hand in her paw. “I am so sorry, but I need a favor.”

“Whatever you need, Tor.” Was your instant response. Tori had been regaining her strength after her almost-dusting incident. Asgore had treated her like delicate china for a few days, but the queen was quick to brush off her partner’s ‘unnecessary doting’.

“I need to go to the embassy downtown. Frisk used to be invited, but then we _, once again_ ,  had an incident.” Toriel’s face pinched like she had tasted something sour. Her eyes narrowed as she peered down at Frisk. Frisk clung to her paw innocently, batting their eyelashes at you.

Trying to stifle the laugh you could feel bubbling in your chest, you focused back on Tori.” W-what was the incident?”

Tori pursed her lips and her soft nose twitched in thought. “During a meeting with the leaders of the United Nation, Frisk _flirted_ with the ambassador from Mexico. Thankfully, the human laughed it off, but there is _no_ place for that behavior during serious and _tense_ political litigation.” 

Frisk smiled, and batted their eyes.

“Don’t worry, Tor, they’ll be fine with me.” You said, winking at Frisk as they wrangled out of their mother’s hand and raced into your hallway closet where you kept the crayons and games. “Where’s the…Flowey?”

Toriel glanced back at her apartment. “He is too weak to be moved. He’s in the sunlight, but he’s very weak. It is best for him to stay home and rest.  Not much can be done.”

Flashes of Tori lying on your couch, covered in dust, flashed across your mind.

“Y-yeah.” You shook yourself back to reality and out of that shitty mental image.  “Okay. Well, don’t worry about too much. You’ve got a lot on your plate, and it’s no problem at all to watch Frisk.”

The goat-monster took a deep breath and attempted to smile. “Thank you, ______________...are you okay?”

Don’t let her know how close you are to breaking down.

Don’t let her know how lonely you are, even when people are around.

Keep in it.

“Fine!” You tried to sound perky, but you could tell it sounded forced.

When Tori left, you returned to the living room. Frisk was lying on their stomach, scribbling away on some plain computer paper with the crayons. Peering over their hunched shoulder, you squinted your eyes at the scribble of colors.

What was that? It looked like a dog with a super long neck…and wearing a suit of armor?

“Heya, big boss.” You took a seat down beside the small child. “Mom says you’re flirting with the ambassador.”

Frisk snorted, working on an intricate looking shield for the long-necked dog. _‘Good looking’._

You had to hold back a snort. “You and your parents are very important to the world. I know it sucks, but sometimes you have to act…well…more mature.” As you spoke, you were reminded that this wasn’t some trained diplomat. Frisk was a child, and they had so much on their shoulders. The last thing they needed was a talk from you.

“What did you like the most about that ambassador, anyways?” You asked, stealing a piece of paper and a purple crayon to draw with.  

Frisk sighed dreamily. _‘She was pretty and looked like me.’_

You cast Frisk a curious glance. Frisk rolled their eye and made a ‘gimmie’ motion with their hand and pointed towards your cellphone that lay a few feet away. You gave them your cellphone and they quickly began typing away.  When they found what they wanted, a picture, they shoved the phone back into your hand.

It was a woman; Ambassador P. Gaies the photo was labeled. She was beautiful, with dark skin and silky looking deep chocolate hair and perfectly shaped eyes. Frisk fingers tapped the screen before rubbing their hands against their own face and hair.

Well, the ambassador and Frisk did look a little similar.

Okay, really similar.

‘ _Am I like her?_ ’ Frisk sighed, a far-away look in their eyes.

What a loaded question.

“I’m not sure, boss. What do you mean?” You asked, mindlessly drawing a butterfly.

 _‘Mexican? Am I? Everyone I go to school with know what they are. Even monsters. They know what clans they’re from and from where Underground…and…I don’t know anything.’_ Frisk’s eyes seemed to well for a second, but they pushed the tears down with sheer determination.

Wrapping the little kid up into your arms, you squeezed Frisk hard. “Have you asked your mom? Maybe she’d know.”

 _‘I don’t want to make her sad.’_ Frisk signed slowly, burying themselves further into your arms. They rubbed their cheek against your arm and settled in the crook there.

“You won’t, big boss.” You squeezed Frisk tightly. “Now, how about you and I make some milkshakes.”

Frisk’s sadness was instantly shaken off at the offer of milkshakes. They leapt from your arms and sped into the kitchen. They looked like a miniature Papyrus when they ran! Laughing, you followed the little kiddo into the kitchen, where they were already pulling out the chocolate syrup from the fridge.

When Frisk shut the fridge door, the front door opened.

Your heart started pumping faster.

 _‘Uncle Sans!_ ’ Frisk signed, almost tossing the chocolate syrup to the floor before throwing themselves towards the stocky skeleton. Sans scooped Frisk up into his arms and playfully shook them like a ragdoll.

“What’s _shakin’_ , kiddo.” Sans said, carrying Frisk into the kitchen and nodding at the blender and ice cream you had pulled out and placed on the counter. You barley hid a smile by pursing your lips.  

 _‘Milkshakes! Want one?’_ Frisk signed, wriggling out of Sans’ arms and running towards the counter. They pushed one of the kitchen stools up to the counter and climbed up to sit.

“Hey.” Sans’ voice was quiet, hushed, the same way you’d talk to a street dog that was ready to escape at any moment.

“Hi.” You responded shyly, pawing nervously at the wrists of your own jacket. An awkward heartbeat of a moment was shared between the two of you. You didn’t know where to look, let alone what to say.

Would it be completely insane to burst into tears? That’s what you felt like doing.

Why the hell had you even fought in the first place? What was worth this pain in your chest?

“Want one?” You asked shyly, repeating Frisk’s question. Blinking, Sans nodded and took a step further into the kitchen.

The three of you made your milkshakes, and of course Sans squeezed a swirling dollop of ketchup on top of his glass when his shake was poured. It was a miracle that the kitchen wasn’t covered in milkshake due to the loose hold Frisk kept on the blender top.

“Kiddo, why don’t you pick a movie to go with these shakes, sound good?” Sans asked, nodding to the living room. Frisk let out a loud ‘whoop!’ and raced to pick out a movie to watch., large cup in hand

And with that,

You and Sans were left alone.

Sans started to sweat.

“I…uh…I wanted to say sorry. I shouldn’t have shut you out.” Sans voice was raw, almost too quiet to hear.  He took the two tall milkshake glasses and placed them on the counter “Or…treat you like you’re not strong or that you’re stupid. My fear blinded me, and I-…I’m so sorry.”

You took a cautious step towards the skeleton.

“I’m sorry, too.” Your voice would barley raise above a whisper. “I was so angry and stressed and I know stress was piling up on you, too-”

“We both had so much on our minds, __________.” Sans reasoned, taking another step towards you. “I should have told you that I needed help.”

“I shouldn’t have flipped out at you like a jackass.” You said shyly, your foot beginning to nervously bounce. “I knew you…you needed help before we were a couple, and I should have been ready to notice the signs and help you.”

“Should’a, could’a, would’a, right?” Sans smiled crookedly, reaching out to slowly take your hand. You squeezed his hand, missing the way his bones pressed against your skin.

“Yeah.” You whispered. You were now close enough to feel the warmth radiating off of him. “I’m still so sorry. I promised to be with you and love you, and I backed off as soon as something bad happened.”

Sans frowned, taking your hand and pressing it against his teeth. “It takes two to fight, babe. I had so many chances to open up to you, and to show you just how much I love you, and I never did.”

You took Sans’ hand and held it to your trembling cheek. “I never doubted that you loved me, even if you didn’t say it a lot. I could have stepped back and cooled down instead of breaking up with you on the spot.”

“I was being irrational, babe, I was so scared. I thought Frisk was resetting and that I would lose you; and I ended up losing you because of my dumb ass.”

“You don’t have an ass.” A smile erupted, and tears misted across your eyes. Sans smiled widely, a tired chuckle vibrating against your hand. “You…Can I have you back? If you’ll have me?”

A huge smile spread across his skull, and big tears welled up in his eye sockets.

“We good?” Sans asked quietly, reaching out with his free hand to un-zip his hoodie. He shook the hoodie off and swung it around your shoulders like a cape.

“We will be.” You said, pecking Sans’ on the cheek.

Sans’ entire skull erupted cyan blue and the white pin pricks of his eyes became stars.

“Well, then we both have lost time to make up for and things to work on.” Sans tugged you closer to wrap you tightly in a hug. “Can I…kiss you again?”

Giggling, you nuzzled your nose against his flushing cheek. “Yeah, bone boy.”

Sans gently pressed his teeth against your lips. A flare of magic tingled against your lips, and you were then kissing San’s magical lips. The use of magic that Sans was usually too lazy to command made you smile.

When the two of you pulled away, the stars in Sans’ sockets had turned to hearts. Reaching into the pocket of the jacket that hung around your shoulders, Sans produced a small gray box. It was too large to be a ring box, but you felt star struck.

“I’m not trying to buy you back or anything.” Sans toyed with the top of the box. “But this is the beginning of me opening up and treating our relationship the way it deserves.” Sans gently handed you the box.  

The box was light in your hands, and you fingers were a little shaky as you wobbly slid the top off the box. Laid inside the velvet of the box was a quarter sized resin pendant on a long golden chain. When you lifted the necklace up to the light, you saw something glistening inside the clear pendant.

“That’s a snowflake from Snowdin.” Sans said, much to your awe. “Where Pap and I are from. Wanna hear about it? I-If you want, I mean.”  

Tearing up once again, you slid the pendant over your neck. The snowflake hung low down your chest, right where your sternum ended and your stomach began. It was gorgeous, and felt comforting against your skin. You took Sans’ hands and began dragging him to the living room.

“Let’s watch the movie with Frisk, and as soon as they fall asleep, I’d love to hear about it.”

Like a miracle, you were given another chance at happiness.

But it was going to be work.


End file.
